The United States military is a vital part of America’s national defense. Troops across multiple branches do so much to keep the country safe, defend the values which the United States was unfounded upon, and more.
In order for the military to maintain, however, it will inevitably require new recruits. This is important for the United States’ national defense to remain intact, especially considering all that’s happening in the world.
However, new military recruits are easier said than found, these days. In fact, according to Fox News, issues with military recruitment have been a troubling reality in America for quite some time now.
What to Know About US Military Recruits
Problems with finding an adequate amount of new military recruits date back to the start of COVID. Yet, even as people have largely returned to normal life, there still aren’t folks signing up in droves to join the military.
Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Edward W. Thomas has weighed in on what he thinks is causing these shortfalls.
US Military recruits lag! What…… oh yeah who would wanna work for a guy that leaves brothers on a battlefield; just saying.
— PurebloodAmerican (@PurebloodAmeric) June 7, 2022
Thomas pointed out how Americans’ trust in their government is declining; additional cited factors were lower eligibility levels and fewer people with a drive to serve in the first place.
The Air Force commander likewise pointed out that how the military was withdrawn from Afghanistan back in 2021 certainly didn’t help matters either. 13 servicemembers are dead because of how the president went about withdrawal.
Another Potential Factor
Since Joe Biden got into office, he’s been trying to strong-arm women and men in the military into getting vaccinated against COVID.
This vaccine mandate stands, despite the documented fact that COVID vaccines don’t deter infection or spread of the virus.
Some servicemembers have subsequently turned in exemption requests to avoid the mandate. Yet, the vast majority of these requests have been denied with very little review.
To date, only 58 religious-based exemptions from Biden’s military vaccine mandate have been granted… out of approximately 22,000(!) applications.
Today, I filed legislation to protect our military servicemembers from being punished for their religious beliefs.
— Rep. Mike Johnson (@RepMikeJohnson) June 3, 2022
Some of the women and men in the military have actually been discharged over their refusal to take COVID vaccines. Needless to say, when people see this happening, it doesn’t really inspire new recruits to sign up in droves.
If the military continues as it has been with this particular mandate, it may persist in observing lagging recruitment numbers.
On the flip side, though, having a different commander in chief could potentially increase the number of recruits interested in joining the military.
In the meantime, military branches may continue to face current issues with getting new recruits on board.
What do you think about the current lag in recruits the US military is seeing? Do you believe the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan or Joe Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate for the military is playing a role in fewer recruits?
Readers are welcome to share their thoughts in the comments field below.
