Even though the U.S. Army recently hit its recruitment goals, a lingering problem remains finding soldiers among the millennial generation, says retired U.S. Army officer.
The U.S. Army has announced it is on track to sign more than 68,000 active-duty soldiers for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, crediting social media and online efforts for finding potential recruits.
Last year, the Army brought in about 70,000 new recruits but missed its goal of 76,500 amid low unemployment and tough competition from higher-paying civilian companies.
Maginnis
Bob Maginnis, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel now at the Family Research Council, says much of the millennial generation is not “pro-military” and that creates one immediate challenge for the armed forces.
“We've adjusted the numbers obviously so we make our goal,” he says of the Army. "But in a true national emergency, I'm not sure that given the moral issues, the lack of education, the out of physical condition of the millennial generation, that we have a reservoir of very capable talented and qualified people to draw from."
An Army spokesman has said the goal is to have modest growth over the next couple of years with high-quality recruits.