An opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal.
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The Military Recruitment Crisis Is a Symptom of Cultural Rot

By David McCormick And James Cunningham

America’s cultural cancer manifests itself in many ways, but no symptom is more telling than our low military recruitment. Last year the Army hit only 75% of its recruiting target, while other services had to scramble to meet theirs. This year looks to be worse. The all-volunteer force, formed 50 years ago, is in peril and threatens our ability to defend ourselves in a dangerous world. What does this say about America?

It says we have a national health crisis. A volunteer military requires able-bodied recruits, but 77% of young Americans would be unfit to serve for health reasons. Behind that statistic lies a mountain of concerning data. Every year, fentanyl and other drugs take more than 106,000 lives and affect millions more, reducing the pool of recruits.

It says that partisan politics have infected America’s core institutions. Civilian leaders have used the uniformed services as political pawns and directed them to push progressive priorities. This makes it harder for military leaders to accomplish their central mission—fighting and winning the nation’s wars. It also explains why less than half of Americans (48%) express a great deal of confidence in the U.S. military, a 22point drop in five years. The politicization of institutions, whether the military, schools or professional sports, divides our country where it should be most unified.

Those divisions contribute to the atomization of American society, which the U.S. military hasn’t escaped. In the late 1980s, when a young Lt. McCormick looked at his platoon in the 82nd Airborne Division— with a Southern Baptist from Alabama, a black man from Newark, and a Puerto Rican platoon sergeant— he saw a strong, diverse and confident America. Now the military

draws from a shrinking pool, most with parents or close relatives who served. The rest of society has few family ties to the military. This is only one of the thousands of small fractures subdividing our society, stoked by social media, the left’s obsession with race, sex and identity, and extreme figures on the right as well.

These factors fuel the greatest cultural ailment of all: waning confidence in American exceptionalism. Members of the military carry on a proud tradition, and the nation owes them our gratitude. But their willingness to wear the uniform stands out in a country where only 9% of those eligible to serve wish to do so.

How did it come to this? Americans have been fed a narrative of victimhood. Our society treats veterans as victims or, worse, charity cases, not as warrior-citizens taught leadership, discipline and camaraderie. On campus, in the media and across popular culture, grievance is the new currency of the realm.

Children are taught to doubt, not love, America, and leaders on both sides of the aisle question its goodness. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that only 38% of Americans highly value patriotism and an equal share say they are “extremely proud” to be American.

The same forces that threaten the all-volunteer force endanger American society at large. These concerns animate our new book, “Superpower in Peril,” in which we chart a path to national renewal. But policy alone can’t heal a spiritual problem. The American spirit fills our national character with courage, ambition and creativity. It is our source of strength when times get bad, and the defining feature of American exceptionalism. That spirit has been neglected—or worse, suppressed—by the forces laid out here. The military recruiting crisis is a direct result of its decline.

We need new leaders to cultivate the American spirit and restore institutional integrity: in the Pentagon, to put war fighting and deterrence first; in schools, to teach civics and America’s exceptional story; in business, to reaffirm the principles of merit and capitalism; and across society, to create a new national commitment to citizenship.

William F. Buckley Jr. defined citizenship as the union of privilege (because to be an American is to be blessed with liberty and opportunity) and responsibility (because as Americans we have a duty to preserve the republic and serve our nation). Today, we have the balance wrong, emphasizing privilege and too often forgetting responsibility.

Perhaps the military recruiting crisis is the lagging indicator of America’s cultural collapse. Or maybe it’s the canary in the coal mine, an early warning that it is time to rescue American exceptionalism. What we do next as citizens will decide.

Mr. McCormick, a combat veteran and former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, was a candidate for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Pennsylvania in 2022. He is author, with Mr. Cunningham, of “Superpower in Peril: A Battle Plan to Renew America.”

LINK

It’s sad; the number of young people willing to fight to protect us is being outstripped by those that won’t but expect someone else to do it because they “deserve” it. Given what the armed forces have been forced to endure under Biden (not including the traitorous upper echelons that are part of the problem) makes me think this is all intentional to weaken us.

Can you imagine what it would be like if we had another global conflict, and had to start the draft?

quote:

Originally posted by Ironbutt:
Can you imagine what it would be like if we had another global conflict, and had to start the draft?

Canada's population would increase for sure.

I've heard the issue is largely with the military. Politics over merit for promotions, leadership feeling more like a corporate bureaucracy, lack of support of enlisted and lower ranks. Add to all that stuff like abandoning our equipment in Afghanistan, Navy ships and subs colliding, it really doesn't look like a system one wishes to join.

After, to name just one example in recent years, the abandonment of Afghanistan, who wants to play for the losing team?

quote:

Originally posted by bryan11:
I've heard the issue is largely with the military. Politics over merit for promotions, leadership feeling more like a corporate bureaucracy, lack of support of enlisted and lower ranks. Add to all that stuff like abandoning our equipment in Afghanistan, Navy ships and subs colliding, it really doesn't look like a system one wishes to join.

And add to that the weaponization (I've begun to hate that word) of the government against its own citizens. When people fear their own government more than foreign adversaries, it's not hard to imagine why so few are signing up.

^^^ yes.
Personal anecdote: For the last two years the Navy has been attempting to kick out my son-in-law for refusing the clot shot. Now that he has seen and experienced how people with a more conservative leaning are treated, he has put in his papers for separation.
Now that he wants out, they don't want to let him out.

I think the fact that we have been waging decades long wars with no clear goals factor in. And often in places with no clear threat to the US except vague references to preventing or deterring terrorism.

When the illegitimate Commander in Chief is a confirmed pedophile, doesn't know what day it is and his son is a lecherous drug-using fiend, it's a wonder anyone wants to serve under the GDC regime.

quote:

it's a wonder anyone wants to serve under the GDC regime.

... and at the same time he's gutting the military, he's started a war with Russia and China is licking it's chops all around Taiwan.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
^^^ yes.
Personal anecdote: For the last two years the Navy has been attempting to kick out my son-in-law for refusing the clot shot. Now that he has seen and experienced how people with a more conservative leaning are treated, he has put in his papers for separation.
Now that he wants out, they don't want to let him out.

I really, really wish I was shocked at this.

(In response to chellim1)

The same thing happened or is happening to numerous soldiers that I serve with or know.

The mass exodus of soldiers who are 22-27 is ungodly.

I get the old farts like me (51) who are tired of the BS, but all those young soldiers is just devastating.

I get it, and support them

I know I am old AF, but if it was truly needed to defend our country from foreign or domestic threats, I would be there in a heartbeat.

Never served because I was told I was the wrong color to do what I wanted from the 3 branches I approached (in 1994). That really pissed me off at the time, so I took my ball and went home. I grew up a Navy Brat hopping from base to base until I was 17 and always wanted to serve.

Regrets, I have a few, but I have lived my life and would gladly pony up now if the conflict was for our survival.

I am sure there are plenty of young men who would answer the call if it was truly needed for our survival. It's hard, but I still have faith that there are a lot of young people out there with the right morals and a healthy dose of patriotism.

Yeah, I'm all for the draft. We could cure more than a few of society's problems with a draft.

Not to mention, it would be a total hoot to witness the pure panic among the snowflakes and America haters.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Yeah, I'm all for the draft. We could cure more than a few of society's problems with a draft.

Not to mention, it would be a total hoot to witness the pure panic among the snowflakes and America haters.

I'm from the Vietnam era. I was a Marine, so there weren't any draftees. The Army had a bunch of draftees & I would've had no problem serving along side those guys in combat.

I'm not sure I'd trust a draftee from this entitled generation to have my back in combat. In fact, I wouldn't trust most of them pushing a wheel barrow.

Combat? Hell, man, they won't make it through the first week of basic.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall...

Are there any prominent Democrat vets?

If they were to reinstate the draft, I'll bet they would conscript from overwhelming conservative areas. Might as well wipe out the political opposition. Besides, only the illegals would be left with all the wimmen.

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
Are there any prominent Democrat vets?

John Kerry