During the four years of the Joe Biden presidency, military recruiting fell on hard times. Seldom were all the services able to meet recruiting goals. Many of the US Military departments are missing those objectives by significant percentages. More alarming than any other factor, however, was the unwillingness of family members who had served (or were serving) to recommend a tour of duty or a career as a member of the US military. There is evidence that this reluctance to advocate for military service has changed. Why? Perhaps because Donald Trump is once again the commander-in-chief.
Military Recruiting Challenges Are Not New
The topic of the US Armed Forces struggling to meet recruiting goals is not new. Filling the ranks of our enlisted and officer corps, however, has recently been a serious problem, so much so that the services have resorted to establishing pre-enlistment preparatory schools to get potential recruits qualified to meet physical and educational standards. As Liberty Nation News reported, "Now the US Navy believes it will improve accession by lowering cognitive testing standards. Before getting too far out front, if numbers of recruits are the only goal, the Navy may have something going for it. But, if the goal is to get the most capable, skilled fighting force, what the sea service is about to embark on is a fool's errand."
But what makes those who have served or are serving reluctant to push their family members to join the military? "The proportion of active-duty family respondents likely to recommend service fell from 55% in 2016 to just 32% in 2023, according to Blue Star Families' Military Family Lifestyle Survey (MFLS)," the Military Officers Association of America explained. "Results from more than 7,400 respondents highlight the link between quality-of-life issues and this double-digit drop." The value of quality-of-life circumstances for members results from good leadership or lack thereof. The results of the MFLS study are a testament to failed leadership. Why would anyone want to join an outfit where the leadership, especially at the very top, lacks interest in the well-being of its members?
There is a fundamental reluctance for young people to serve. Men and women of military age want to be a part of a group that values merit, being chosen for skills and experience and not meeting some quota. The previous administration was tone-deaf on this issue. During Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing, the nominee pointed out that quotas required a certain percentage of women to be included in US Army units. At which point Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) nearly came out of her seat with a raised voice, short of a shout, telling Hegseth: "Commanders do not have to have a quota for women in the infantry. That does not exist. Your statements are creating the impression that these exist because they do not. There are not quotas." Gillibrand is wrong. As is the case with many leftists, she’s about as far removed from the truth of the situation on the ground as she is physically from any battlefield.
As the Daily Caller clarified:
"A Marine Corps veteran appeared on Newsmax Tuesday to defend Pete Hegseth and express her concerns about the impact of diversity initiatives on military recruitment and standards. Speaking from her extensive experience overseeing recruitment in Orange County, Calif., Jessica Quezada said that there is a growing trend within military recruitment policies that prioritize diversity quotas."
Since the Nov. 5 election, the cavalry has been on its way. Evidence shows that the recruiting trend is turning positive even before the blue coats reached the encircled wagons. If recruiting numbers are the metric, young men and women are beginning to see the woke, anti-warrior cultural darkness lifting and a new era of focus on the warfighter gaining purchase. "The promising year in recruiting also gives the incoming Trump administration enormous momentum as recruiting woes have been among the top issues at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill," Military.com reported on Jan. 10. "President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, has pledged to make recruitment a top priority, often citing cultural and political grievances as the root of the military's recent difficulties, but with no evidence to support those claims." Though Military.com is correct – it is too soon to identify a direct cause-and-effect relationship between President Trump's re-election and improved military recruiting – anecdotal data suggests there is a correlation.
Woke Is Over
During Hegseth's confirmation hearing, the nominee's testimony revealed a persistent theme. The moral wilderness of woke policies is over. When Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) asked Hegseth what the troops would think about the new Trump Defense Department, he responded: "The troops will rejoice …They will love it. They will love it. And we've already seen it in recruiting numbers. There's already been a surge, since President Trump won the election, of recruiting the Army's interests." Must Read Alaska, a news source based in Homer, AK, reported:
"Must Read Alaska interviewed a young man from the Mat-Su Valley this week who said that he and two of his friends enlisted in the military right after Trump was elected. The young men, right out of high school, had been waiting to see what kind of American would-be commander-in-chief before they made the decision to join. The Trump win gave them confidence America would be heading in the right direction, and leadership would have their backs."
Whether a Trump-Hegseth new dawn at the Defense Department where the warrior comes first will drive a surge in recruiting is yet to be seen. But sentiments like those expressed by the fledgling recruits in Alaska are an encouraging sign that many of the ills America's Armed Forces have suffered over the last four years will be addressed. The US warfighters in all the services can be hopeful once again.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
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