RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Despite a significant requirement reduction for recruits, no branch of the U.S. military has been able to meet its recruitment goals. Only the least Americans are still able to serve in the military at all. And those who can won’t. In addition, soldiers who are unwilling to be vaccinated are being discharged. Is conscription coming back?
As a U.S. media report, the U.S. armed forces failed to meet their set goals for recruiting new soldiers in the fiscal year 2022. Across the board, from the Army to the Marines to the Navy to the Air Force, results are well below expectations.
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According to NBC, not only is a record low percentage of young Americans able to “serve” at all. Of those who could, moreover, fewer and fewer want to serve in the military.
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“This is the beginning of a long dry spell for military recruiting,” said Ret. Lt. Gen. Thomas Spoehr of the Heritage Foundation, a think tank, according to NBC. He said the military had not had such difficulty recruiting since 1973 when the U.S. left Vietnam and the draft officially ended.
Spoehr said he does not believe a reintroduction of conscription is imminent, but “2022 is the year we question the sustainability of the volunteer army.”
The number of those eligible for military service continues to shrink as more young men and women than ever are disqualified for obesity, drug use, or criminal records. Recently, Army Chief of Staff Gen.
James McConville testified before Congress that only 23 percent of Americans ages 17 to 24 now qualify for military service without having to file a waiver, down from 29 percent in recent years. Even large bonuses don’t help, as a CNN report makes clear:
Bonuses for recruits range from US$1,000 to US$4,000 for specific jobs that the Army needs to fill quickly or that are difficult to fill because of the qualifications required, according to USAREC. There are also “Quick Ship” bonuses for those who prepare for basic combat training within 90 days, ranging from US$2,000 to US$9,000.
Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers are increasingly being ordered out of service if they refuse the experimental Covid shots. They would “pose a risk to the armed forces and put readiness at risk,” they say.
This is despite a growing body of research showing that shots do not prevent spread and transmission nor prevent hospitalizations. In the U.S. Army National Guard, as many as 40,000 soldiers have been affected.
The longer this situation continues, the fewer military personnel will be available to the United States. After all, even so, there are layoffs, soldiers die, get sick, wounded, and/or disabled, and retire.
So unless the Pentagon focuses on automation to the greatest extent possible and, like China, on artificial intelligence, the combat strength of the U.S. armed forces will suffer significantly sooner or later.