The US will enter 2024 with its smallest military in over 80 years, while its adversaries continue to beef up their militaries.
Pentagon officials said that the US faces one of its “greatest challenges” yet as it tries to recruit more soldiers from Gen Z.
Under the defense bill passed by Congress this week, the total number of active-duty troops will fall to 1,284,500 next year – the lowest total since before the US entered World War II in 1941.
While the Marine Corps and Space Force reached their recruitment targets this year, the Army, Navy, and Air Force fell short.
Ashish Vazirani, the Pentagon’s acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness, said to the House Armed Services Committee this week that individual services missed their recruitment goals in 2023 by a combined 41,000 personnel.
Vazirani said: “That number understates the challenge before us as the services lowered end-strength goals in recent years, in part because of the difficult recruiting environment.
“[The] all-volunteer force faces one of its greatest challenges since (its) inception.”
Military recruiters have said that those in Gen Z – born between 1997 and 2012 – generally have a “low trust in institutions” and have “decreasingly followed traditional life and career paths”.
According to Defense Department polling data from 2022, only nine percent of young people show a propensity to serve.
Vazirani said: “This has led to a disconnect between the military and a large share of society.
“Youth of today are not saying no to what the military has to offer, they simply don’t know much about military service.”
He added that the Defense Department and military services are working together to resolve issues and expand awareness about military service opportunities.
In 2024, the Army will have 445,000 active-duty soldiers, down more than 8.4 percent over the last three years. The Navy will have 10,000 fewer sailors, down three percent.
Meanwhile, the US’ adversaries, like China, continue to grow their forces.
In 2022, China had the largest armed forces in the world, with about two million active soldiers.
Vazirani said: “We must reach today’s youth where they are with a message that resonates with them and motivates them to act.
“Over the last 50 years, the all-volunteer force has proven itself to be the best way to maintain a force capable of defending our nation.
“And with our combined efforts, I am confident we will remain as such for the foreseeable future.”
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