U.S. Army Missed Last year’s annual hiring goal was 41,000 people.The impact is already felt As naval vessels become unmanned and military authorities reduce the size of their forces.
Meanwhile, our enemies are growing bolder by the day, from Iranian-backed terrorists in the Middle East to communist China in the Indo-Pacific. That’s a combination that leads to disaster.
What can I do to course-correct? On one level, the answer is simple. We need to restore the American people’s faith in the value of a military career.as Admiral Mike Mullen reportrecruitment is down because “moms, dads, uncles, coaches, pastors aren’t watching.” [the armed forces] It’s no longer a good choice. ”
But in order for people to regain their confidence, they need to understand why they lost it. To do so, we must face three difficult truths about our nation’s recent history.
The first truth is that the creep of missions in the Middle East has done great damage to American morale.
After 9/11, more than 250,000 people enlisted. They joined to protect America from terrorism and to deliver justice during one of its darkest days. They ended up serving in long-term counterinsurgency and nation-building operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Our military has destroyed terrorist networks that threaten countless lives. The value of these benefits cannot be overstated. However, our extensive efforts were not very successful. Afghanistan is once again in the hands of the Taliban, while Iraqi military personnel are not being valued and the threat from Iranian-backed attacks is increasing.
As expected, the results caused disappointment among the people. many veterans – and that broader public. All of this leads to a decline in enthusiasm for military recruitment.
The second truth we need to face is that our government has provided military personnel with an inadequate quality of life for many years.
In the 2000s, the military deployed They will be spending more time overseas on a one-on-one basis, far exceeding what the Gates Commission recommended after the Vietnam War. It was hard work, but what did they receive in return? moldy base and pay what you soaked below poverty lineNeedless to say Exposure to toxic substances.
When they returned home, they had to fight again. This time he had to fight the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. was denied Providing medical care to hundreds of thousands of men and women injured in the line of duty. It wasn’t really an advertisement for the service.
The third truth we need to understand is how politics is driving young people away from the military.
For nearly a decade, the far left has declared the United States an evil country riddled with racism and funding oppression around the world. The result is a generation of people who feel alienated from their country and are far less motivated to serve.
This is not speculation.Look at this Quote Question from a man who just graduated from high school: “Is it really worth it to join and risk your life for an ideology you don’t agree with and don’t necessarily want to follow?”
That’s an understandable sentiment. But for a country with an all-volunteer military, this is a serious problem.
What can we do to chart a new trajectory?
First, we must improve the quality of life for our military and veterans. This means dealing with inadequate housing, childcare, and salaries. It also means faithfully enforcing laws like my Veterans Responsibility and Whistleblower Protection Act and respecting the bipartisan PACT Act. If the Biden administration continues like this, walk slowly For these reforms to take place, Congress must have the power to enforce them.
Additionally, we must eliminate polarizing politics from the military. Through the annual National Defense Act of 2024, Congress created a hiring freeze and capped salaries for the Department of Defense’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program. More such measures are needed to reduce the impact of the left-right divide on national defense.
Finally, we must remind people of the value of our military to the national interest. This does not mean whitewashing the legacies of Afghanistan and Iraq. Rather, it means communicating the current stakes more clearly.
American ships are now under attack from the same Iranian-backed militias that threaten to drag Israel into regional wars in the Middle East. Terrorist organizations are ready to attack our heartland. Russia has launched the largest European ground conflict since 1945. Above all, there is the threat of Communist China. China seeks to establish global hegemony, thereby making Americans dependent on the totalitarian regime for everything from cancer treatment to ballistic missile components.
We must deter aggression and maintain our independence and freedom from these grave threats. But you can only do that if you have the strongest military in the world.
Policy makers have a duty to convey a sense of crisis to young people and convince them that lessons have been learned. Without new employees, it is actually very unlikely that the 21st century will become America’s new century.
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Marco Rubio is the senior U.S. senator from Florida.
