ARMY PUSHES TO MEET ‘VERY AMBITIOUS’ RECRUITING GOALS
Tue, 11/22/2022 - 06:55
To meet its goal of recruiting 65,000 new soldiers in the coming year, the Army needs to “push” itself to reach those who want to serve as well as those who don’t, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said.
After missing last year’s recruiting target by 15,000 people, the Army faces another tough recruiting year saddled with challenges such as obesity, poor test scores and behavioral issues that leave only 23% of young people eligible to serve.
The Army also faces competition from the private sector, with more employers offering bonuses, higher hourly wages and educational benefits. But what concerns Wormuth the most is the drop in propensity to serve, which she said “seems to be a little bit more of a recent development.”
“Only 9% of young Americans are interested in serving in the military, and that’s a very small percentage. It’s been a pretty rapid drop,” Wormuth said Nov. 18 during a webinar hosted by the Center for a New American Security.
https://www.ausa.org/news/army-pushes-meet-very-ambitious-recruiting-goals
