Military Recruitment Crisis - Soldiers attend a joint enlistment ceremony at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Ind., on May 22. (Kelsey Cook/Indiana National Guard)

With just two months left in the fiscal year, this year is expected to be the worst hiring season since 1973, the year the project ended.

Military Recruitment Crisis

Military Recruitment Crisis

The US military is the smallest since 1939, two years before the US military entered World War II. However, the Army lowered recruiting targets to achievable rather than necessary levels. The Air Force, which must replace about 50,000 people each year, had more than 4,000 new recruits at the end of June. The Navy and Marine Corps are on track to meet their annual targets, but recognize the challenges of today's procurement environment.

Media Coverage Of The Recruitment Crisis In The Us Military

Veterans and military families must strive to help our country once again prevent a national security crisis that will occur when our military cannot fight and win when called upon. We need veterans to help us make the call to serve and convince more young people to respond. The situation is serious. A Department of Defense survey conducted in the fall of 2021 found that the percentage of young people who said they would consider military service is now 9 percent, the lowest since 2007.

Our veterans should be deeply involved in every step of the hiring process and exemplify how meaningful a life in service can be. They can help us expand the group by introducing us to potential recruits and showing that many are like them. Our military is increasingly made up of minorities, women and children of immigrants. Veterans can also provide first-person accounts of how their time in the military has improved their lives and served as a springboard to a successful civilian life.

Of course, there are many underlying factors that have contributed to the lack of recruits. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the ability of service recruiters to do their jobs. This is due to lower efficiency through remote technology. A strong economy and tight job market have provided more civilian opportunities for those who might have considered taking the oath. And because of obesity, criminal records, diagnosed mental health problems and low scores on military assessment tests, fewer people of the right age are eligible to serve.

We need to investigate why prospective hires lost their rating and ask whether these determinants are still relevant or need to be adjusted. For example, certain mental health conditions can be gradually resolved and managed after enlistment. And 21st century cyber warfare may not demand the same physical standards of recruits that have historically been required.

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This is important because the recruitment crisis does not only affect one year. Fewer openings today mean fewer candidates are available for key technical training, career development, and leadership positions in the future. Of particular concern is what will happen to the ranks of our NCOs and SNCOs.

Hiring and retention bonuses are currently offered, but they are not sustainable and are not a long-term solution. And the upkeep bonuses will age our troops.

However, the panel of experts considering the recruitment shortage agrees that the most serious problem we face is our declining propensity to serve the country. This is where veterans can step in.

Military Recruitment Crisis

Most veterans say they are proud of their service, and nearly 80% would recommend military service to someone close to them. Veterans can exemplify national service, helping to bring age-eligible populations into national, community, and military service in all regions of our country.

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Veteran service organizations and peer networks such as Team RWB, Team Rubicon, The Travis Manion Foundation, The Mission Continues and Student Veterans of America also have a role to play. All emphasize continued service and leadership in the community and on campus. Community service organizations should welcome these organizations and their peer networks as shared opportunities for these veterans to engage with the larger community and serve as examples of continued service in leadership.

The life cycle of each volunteer does not end with the transition to veteran status, and recruitment is a new way to serve veterans.

Col. Matthew F. Amidon of the Marine Corps Reserve is director of Veterans and Military Families at the George W. Bush Institute.

This article is an Op-Ed, so the opinions expressed are those of the author. If you have an editorial you'd like to respond to or submit, please email us.

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Military Recruitment Crisis

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Fort Bragg authorities are looking for a sexual assault suspect. The suspect is described as a muscular 5-foot-8 man between 30 and 45 years old with a sleeve tattoo on his right arm.

The new Marine Intelligence Command aims to synchronize data operations. The Marine Corps recently activated a two-star command that it hopes will better coordinate intelligence operations. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle sounded the alarm Thursday about the shrinking of the U.S. military's recruitment drive, with some comparing it to the military's unpopular trend during the Vietnam War.

The U.S. has so far reached 85 percent of its overall hiring goal for fiscal year 2022, which ends in September. According to Politico, the U.S. Marine Corps, Space Force and Air Force have met their goals, but only 89 percent for the Navy and 66 percent for the U.S. Army.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis. argues that the main factors contributing to low hiring are the inability of recruiters to interact personally with candidates due to COVID-19 and high levels of obesity among candidates.

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"We are facing a military recruiting crisis," Gallagher told Politico. "With Republicans taking control of Congress in a few months, avoiding a hiring crisis will be a priority."

US Air Force Staff Sgt. Sidney Dellinger and Sgt. Corey Smith details the flag at Camp Simba, Manda Bay, Kenya, in an event marking the transition from tactical to sustained operations. (Sgt. Lexie West/US Air Force via AP)

U.S. Army Recruiting Sgt. Neil Grullon, front left, sits with 121 new recruits from the five U.S. Armed Forces sworn in by Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley in a hangar in Oparoka, Fla., Thursday, May 3, 2007. ( Photo by Richard Sheinwald)/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Military Recruitment Crisis

Meanwhile, D-Colo, a former Army ranger. Congressman Jason Crow says a lack of incentives to sign up is to blame.

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"We need to offer incentives and enlistment bonuses. I also think we should educate people about military service and what it's like and what it means," he told the outlet.

COVID-19 has cut U.S. military readiness for both recruits and service members as the Biden administration instituted service-wide vaccination mandates.

The U.S. military cut pay and benefits for nearly 60,000 National Guard and Reserve members who refused to get the COVID vaccine in early July, even though more than 30 percent of their recruiting slots were unfilled.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter for Fox News Digital, covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send your tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.Lawmaker. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern as dismal hiring numbers continue to wade through the DoD and Congress.

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The Army hit 66 percent of its goal for the fiscal year that ended in September, and the Navy hit 89 percent. | Photo by Stephen B. Morton/AP

Lawmakers in both parties are increasingly pressing the Pentagon to address a recruiting crisis that risks leaving the military far short of its recruiting target this year, widely seen as the worst recruiting environment since the end of the war in Vietnam. war

Leaders of various militaries have all acknowledged the problem, but have been unable to move the needle in a positive direction as young Americans' desire to join the military falls off a cliff statistical

Military Recruitment Crisis

"We are facing a military recruiting crisis," said Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin). . "With Republicans taking control of Congress in the coming months, avoiding a recruiting crisis will be a top priority for the Military Subcommittee," he added. Gallagher is the top Republican on the House Armed Services subpanel.

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