US military faces recruitment crisis amid record low public confidence

The US military is facing a severe crisis.

In the second month of 2024, recruitment for the active Army and Navy fell 30-40 per cent below targets, while Army Reserves, Navy Reserves, and Air National Guard recruitment lagged by 20 per cent or more, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

This decline is part of a troubling trend. Over the past decade, the willingness to serve has dropped from 15 per cent to 9 per cent, and the share of recruiting-age Americans eligible for military service has decreased from 30 per cent to 23 per cent. The gap between servicemembers and the general civilian population is widening, with less than 1 per cent of Americans currently serving and a projected 34 per cent reduction in the number of living veterans over the next 25 years.

The recruitment crisis is partly attributed to shifting perceptions of the military. Many American institutions have seen a decline in public trust, and the military is no exception. Confidence in the military has dropped to a record low of 60 per cent, down from 73 per cent five years ago, with only 40 per cent of recruitment-age youth showing strong support.

Additionally, the US has fostered an image of war as relatively easy and cost-effective, despite a mixed track record of performance. Since World War II, the US has experienced a stalemate in Korea, losses in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and a victory in the first Gulf War. This record of 1-3-1 is increasingly viewed as less than successful.

From 1949 until the adoption of the All-Volunteer Force (AVF) in 1973, the US had 19 overseas military deployments. However, from 1973 to 2012, this number surged to 144. This dramatic increase in deployments often occurred under questionable justifications and was frequently financed through costly debt, which eroded public trust. Moreover, the disconnect between the financial and human costs of war and the everyday lives of Americans grew, further straining public support.