Recruiting Crisis – Found An Honest Article

Many articles on the recruiting crisis blame overweight young people, young people on drugs, a good economy, etc.

I have been blogging on this topic for three years now.

I read every article I can find on the topic. This is the most honest one I have seen:

Jan 16, 2024 The American Mind

Solving the Military’s Recruiting Crisis
By Grant Smith

“The widespread loss of trust in America’s fighting force is warranted.”

“To a credulous American public in the wake of 9/11, platitudes were enough. But there have been far too many lies and failures in the top ranks of the military complex since then to paper over this growing crisis.”

“After decades of costly and preventable failures, the American people are tired of war and exhausted by the lies glibly espoused by their representatives. Rather than address this unpleasant reality, senior leaders seek refuge in an echo chamber constructed from an unholy trinity of unconstitutional censorship, mass media-driven opinion-shaping network, and the confirmation bias that accompanies their class interest.”

My take:

A recruiting crisis was earned by the politicians, generals, & high ranking civilians who have been running the Pentagon over the past 30 years or so.

The crisis is also upon us due to newspeople not asking questions going back to the time the Cold War ended in the early 90s.

Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.

Understandable why young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this.

Four-star officers and high level DOD civilians built careers made of undeclared/unwon wars. Now they must mastermind ways to recruit a new generation.

Photo-

Symbol of a free and honest society. A society where newspeople went easy on asking questions Re: overseas military operations/undeclared unwon wars over the past 30 years or so.

A society where honest and meaningful ideas stand up to questioning and discussion, but the questioning and discussion rarely takes place.

A society where TV newspeople perform like paid actors reading a script:

Recruiting Crisis/Reality Check

Thousands of American families have had a loved one in the regular or reserve US Armed Forces who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. National Guard too.

US Army

WWII costume reminds us of a time before decades of undeclared/unwon wars stacked up:

“Gen. James E. Rainey, head of Army Futures Command, swears in six new recruits during a special Military Appreciation Day game featuring Minor League Baseball’s Round Rock Express in Round Rock, Texas, on April 30, 2023”

US Navy

Vice Adm. Cheeseman says:

“We’ve lost kitchen table conversations in the last couple years,” he said, referring to conversations would-be sailors could have with parents or grandparents about service.”

If we can just get the veterans, parents and grandparents of the USA to recommend an enlistment to the young family members in their life, things will be looking up. Trouble is, maybe those family members expect more from a commitment to enlist than decades of undeclared/unwon wars. The press, four-star officers, and elected officials will avoid owning up to this.

The US Dept. of Defense spent the last 30 years squandering prestige and credibility overseas and at home.

If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:

The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.

Four-star officers, high level DOD civilians, policy think tanks and the press will avoid being honest about how DOD has been used over the past 30 years. They tend to avoid discussing a track record that is not attractive to the parents, grandparents, young people and veterans of America.

Sorry, no time for the press to ask if decades of undeclared/unwon wars fail to stimulate an urge to enlist:

Video above: Comments are turned off.

Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the Pentagon specializes in undeclared/unwon wars. The DOD brand has been wrecked.

The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.

In some cases, the US Armed Forces provide for our security. That’s as good as it gets.

In terms of American rights and freedoms- The Dept. of Defense has no more say than the Dept. of Agriculture.

President Biden says different:

It’s all about freedom folks.

Biden honors Americans who ‘stood on the front lines of freedom’ in Veterans Day remarks

CNN Nov 11, 2023

Sorry, no newspeople available to ask:

Mr President,

Going back to the 1990 Operation Desert Shield,

How would American freedoms today be any different if US troops were never sent to Iraq?

Real newspeople and some Americans might ask:

Did the advantage of US air power allow the undeclared wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to be prevented, won or shut down?

US jet aircraft have been able to strike targets in what wars won by the US?

Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?

Has dressing women to look like men had any positive or negative impact on recruiting?

Uncle Sam is having a hell of a time finding people to sign up for the US Armed Forces. Pretending that decades of undeclared/unwon wars are linked in any way with American freedoms is the kind of dishonesty that will snuff out the energy American families once had for encouraging young people to enlist.

Good luck with your US Armed Forces recruiting crisis.

Glorification of military service/propaganda/total nonsense – Pretending the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization

As the decades of undeclared/unwon wars stack up (The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.) the greater the cultural urge to glorify people who do, or did time in uniform.

If there is an honest reason to send people away into decades of undeclared/unwon wars overseas let’s hear all about it.

Congressman Derek Kilmer:

Wars are for freedom and democracy.

Glorification of military service / total nonsense:

Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs:

“Our right to vote is protected by the extraordinary men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.”

WA Secretary of State:

“Our right to vote is protected by the extraordinary men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.”

Page 7 of the Washington State Elections Voters Pamphlet for the November 5th, 2019 General Election:

“Our right to vote is protected by the members of the U.S. Armed Forces.”

Personal blog:

Right To Vote is Protected by the U.S. Armed Forces?