NORFOLK, Va. — A new report says National Guard troops are facing "stressors," which could impact retention and recruiting.
The nonprofit global think tank RAND Corporation says that operational tempo has reached a "heightened degree of intensity."
Since the U.S. military drawdown from Afghanistan ended in August 2021, the pace of National Guard overseas operations has declined, but the Guard maintains a "relatively intense mission load," according to the RAND report.
RAND notes that domestic demands today seem to be much higher than in past decades, with the Department of Defense and the states "intensively tasking" the 325,000 Army Guard members and 106,000 Air National Guard members to respond to the pandemic, civil unrest, border operations and natural disasters.
The report lists "stressors" that impact Nation Guard soldiers and airmen. They include the pace of operations, family separations, lacking access to health care and difficulty obtaining childcare.
"Members want to serve. But when there's a relentless pace of operations, that can impact the desire to continue to serve," said Daniel Ginsberg, Associate Director at RAND's Forces and Resources Policy Center, in an interview with 13 News Now.
He continued: "These stressors are an area that need to be focused in by not just the leaders within the Guard and within the states but Congress and the whole country. Because the stakes are so overwhelmingly important."
The National Guard Association of the United States says 2023 was a " rough year for recruiting." The organization says both the Army Guard and Air Guard fell short of their recruiting goals.