The Department of War recently reported that just two years ago, the outlook for military recruitment was bleak. The shortfall of 15,000 soldiers was the Army's deepest gap since the end of the draft in 1973. Commanders were forced to trim training rotations and rethink end-strength projections, and lawmakers warned the all-volunteer force faced its most serious manning crisis in half a century.
This fiscal year, however, things have really turned around. The armed services are on track to meeting or exceeding their recruiting targets. In fact, the Army reached its goal of 61,000 new soldiers four months ahead of time.
In Bob Maginnis' opinion, the reason for the turnabout is obvious: Donald Trump's pro-military people have brought a "breath of fresh air" to their offices.
"I think that's what made the difference," the author and national defense strategist submits.
He says he saw firsthand that Biden's legacy of critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) was "cancerous and malignant and … absolutely unacceptable" in the Pentagon.
Though he is disappointed with so many of the previous senior officials, he applauds the military for overcoming some major recruiting obstacles.
Several factors appear to be driving the increase in U.S. military recruitment now, including higher pay and bonuses for servicemembers, an improved recruitment infrastructure, and a morale shift away from "woke" programs and toward patriotism.
The numbers are promising, and Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell has said the Defense Department plans to maintain the momentum with the Recruitment Task Force by eliminating unnecessary barriers without lowering standards.
Still, Maginnis recognizes many obstacles like criminal behavior, drugs, and the like remain.
"The big issue is that four out of five of young Americans no longer qualify to serve in the armed forces – that is a disastrous situation," he notes.
While Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the MAHA movement are trying to improve Americans' health, the task force plans to address the health-related barriers by streamlining medical waiver processing, reviewing disqualifying conditions, updating fitness standards, and simplifying recruiting procedures to increase the pool of eligible recruits while maintaining readiness and performance standards.
