According to Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, press secretary for the Department of Defense, the U.S. military services are optimistic about their efforts to adapt to a changing recruiting landscape.
Only the Marine Corps and Space Force hit their recruiting goals last fiscal year, and currently, only 23 percent of those between the ages of 17 and 24 are qualified to enlist, the DOD said on Friday.
Another factor influencing today’s recruiting landscape is a lack of “propensity” to join the military, said Ryder.
To address these challenges, the DOD is applying a more personalized approach to recruitment efforts.
“There are many different ways for people to learn about the military. But the analysis has shown that at the end of the day, it’s a conversation with someone,” Ryder said.
Today, the military is smaller and more spread out than in previous years, making it less likely that individuals will be able to interact with service members in their communities. COVID-19, said Ryder, was another challenge as it prevented the face-to-face communication “that is absolutely essential to recruiting efforts.”
The DOD has learned from these challenges, and the services are looking at “many different types of ways to get out and engage with today’s youth” and emphasize the benefits of enlistment.
One way the department is targeting these issues is through an Army program that helps recruits meet enlistment standards. According to Army officials, 95 percent of participants have completed the program. The Air Force is offering aviation camps to expose young people to life in the service and aviation jobs.
Public engagement is also an area of focus, and the DOD is looking at airshows, parades, sporting events and base tours, among other activities, as ways to educate people about the military.
Ryder said that personal conversations between young people and those with military experience helps in “breaking down some of the stereotypes in terms of what military life actually is versus what the perception is based on—popular programming or TV.”