WASHINGTON — America's military faces a recruiting crisis, with three of the five branches failing to meet their manpower goals this year.
Big bonuses, loosened enlistment requirements, and new advertising slogans did not push the services out of their slumps. Now lawmakers want answers.
"I believe ending the military recruiting crisis should be our top priority. I don't know how we can expect to have a military if we can't solve this recruiting issue," said Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
The U.S. military is going through one of its worst recruiting stretches since the all-volunteer force began in 1973. The Army missed its recruiting goal by 15,000 soldiers, or 25%. The Army, along with the Air Force and Navy, all expect to miss their goals in 2023.
Only the Marine Corps and the Space Force met their recruitment goals.
The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel on Wednesday heard a less than upbeat assessment from the branches' top recruiting leaders.
"Our active-duty Air Force did not meet goal for the first time in 24 years," said Brigadier General Christopher Amrheim, Commander, U.S. Air Force Recruiting Service.
"As we begin FY 24, we are again faced with a challenging environment," said Rear Admiral Alexis Walker, Commander of U.S. Navy Recruiting Command
"We are competing in one of the toughest recruiting landscapes I have seen in over 33 years of service. This recruiting crisis certainly did not begin overnight, and cannot be repaired overnight," said Major General Johnny Davis, Commander, U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
"The Marine Corps continues to face the same challenges as the other services. They are historic lows in qualification rates, low propensity to serve, labor market challenges and a fragmented media landscape These have all had a compounding effect on the recruiting environment," said Major General William Bowers, Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Command.
Task and Purpose reports that the Army has now sent letters to approximately 1,900 active-duty soldiers who were separated for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, instructing them on how to re-join.