What is behind the US military’s recruitment crisis?
In an UpFront Special, Marc Lamont Hill examines why the US armed forces are failing to hit their recruitment targets.
The United States military is facing its greatest recruitment crisis in 50 years.
Military leaders say they are struggling to hit their enlistment targets because most potential recruits simply do not meet the military’s eligibility standards, while data shows that more than half of young people simply do not see a future in the armed forces.
Many attribute this to information about the military’s internal culture being more readily available now, including reports of racism and sexual harassment, and fears of a lack of adequate care and support for veterans, while others argue that the decline in recruitment has more to do with how young people view the military and a shift in personal beliefs when it comes to war.
So what is behind this decline? And are we witnessing a change in Americans’ relationship to their military?
On UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill puts these questions to Monisha Rios, US Army veteran and Truth In Recruitment board member; Kaitlynn Considine, US Marine Corps veteran and founding member of Gamers for Peace; and Richard Brookshire, US Army veteran and co-founder of the Black Veterans Project.