Washington: A tradition of multi-generational service, which has historically been the nation's main source of new soldiers, is being weakened as current and former soldiers increasingly advise their family members against enlisting, according to reports that the US military's recruiting problems have gotten worse.
In light of a competitive job market and growing worries about low pay, incapacitating injuries, suicides, and indecisive wars, veterans are becoming less inclined to advise loved ones to follow in their footsteps, according to a Friday article in the Wall Street Journal. A controversy over the Pentagon's prioritisation of left-leaning issues like transgenderism and critical race theory also exists at the same time as the recruiting crisis.
According to the Wall Street Journal, some current or former soldiers, including US Navy veteran Catalina Gasper, were upset by the abrupt end of the Afghanistan war in August 2021. During a Taliban attack on Gasper's base in Kabul, she sustained a traumatic brain injury, which she is still recovering from. "We were left with the gut-wrenching feeling of, 'What was it all for?'" said Gasper. She vowed to do everything in her power to prevent her kids from enlisting in the military. "I just don't see how it's sustainable if the machine keeps chewing up and spitting out" our children, one person said.
Similar to Ernest Nisperos, a US Air Force officer, who realised the toll that his deployments took on him and made the decision that he did not want his children to join the military. One of his daughters, Sky Nisperos, revealed that she would pursue a career as a graphic designer after years of fantasising about joining the military like her father and grandfather. After her father's return from a deployment to Afghanistan in 2019, she vividly recalls one incident that happened during a family trip to Disneyland. He curled up in the foetal position during the nightly fireworks display as his family watched.
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Because the vast majority of new troops come from military families, the Pentagon is concerned about the declining enthusiasm for enlistment among veterans. In actuality, close to 80% of US Army recruits come from a military family.
The Army predicted a similar shortfall for 2023 after falling 25% short of its recruiting quota the previous year. The Navy, which aims to enlist nearly 38,000 people this year, may fall short of its goal by as many as 10,000 this year after reporting a shortage of 3,000 recruits in 2022.
Given that more than seven in ten young Americans are disqualified from serving in the military due to conditions like obesity, drug use, and mental illness, the Pentagon is faced with a limited recruiting pool. Only 9% of 16 to 21-year-olds would consider joining the military, down from 13% prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Pentagon poll cited by the WSJ.
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According to the WSJ, reports of poor housing conditions, inadequate medical care, and physical abuse contribute to the issue. Concerning financial difficulties can also be seen in the fact that more than 20,000 active-duty soldiers receive food stamps to prevent hunger in their families.
Parents worry about whether their children will have suitable housing if they enlist in the military. Christine Wormuth, secretary of the army, said. Are they more likely to have suicidal thoughts or experience sexual harassment if my child joins the military?