The demographic and fiscal time bombs ticking inside the Pentagon

[rangerrebew]

The demographic and fiscal time bombs ticking inside the Pentagon
By John Ferrari
 
 
While most people are rightfully focused on the current congressional impasse surrounding the fiscal 2024 budget and the hold on the military confirmation process, there are two larger and more challenging problems that will endanger our national security in the near term: the lack of 18-year-olds to serve and our country’s towering fiscal deficits.

Over the past several years, most of the military services have at one point or another missed their recruiting numbers, with the Army taking the most dramatic hit. The lack of new recruits has shrunk the Army down to about 450,000 in the active force, roughly 33,000 lower in size than the service otherwise wants to be. However, as the services are breathing a small sigh of relief that 2023 was not as bad as 2022, they are simply ignoring the inevitable catastrophe facing them, starting in 2026: the lack of 18-year-olds.

https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/2023/09/29/the-demographic-and-fiscal-time-bombs-ticking-inside-the-pentagon/

[Fishrrman]

Once again, I'll say it:
Sooner or later, it will become necessary to re-instate the draft.

If there's a major conflict (China-Taiwan), it will happen quickly.