US Army Recruiting Problems Linked to Traditional Concerns

US Army Recruiting Problems Linked to Traditional Concerns

U.S. Army officials say recent drops in the number of people signing up for military service appear to be linked to traditional fears and concerns.

Government data shows the Army came up 25 percent short of its goal last year to recruit 60,000 new soldiers. But Army officials have taken several steps to try to bring recruitment numbers back up. These include the launch of newly established programs, advertising¹ campaigns and incentives³.

One incentive² pays recruiters an extra $4,500 per quarter if they increase their current recruitment requirements. One program also permits young new soldiers in lower positions to get a higher position if they identify a recruit who later joins the Army.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said the Army has set a goal this year to bring in 65,000 recruits. That would be 20,000 more than in 2022.

Wormuth said it is difficult to predict how that effort will go. But she added that recruiters will need to do all they can just to beat last year's numbers. "I would say it is a stretch goal," she said.

Guiding the Army's efforts are results of opinion studies, also called surveys, that seek to learn the reasons young people dismiss the Army as a career choice.

The studies – involving about 600 people aged⁴ 16 to 28 – were carried out last spring and summer. While the Army discussed the general results with reporters from the Associated Press, it did not provide information on the survey methods.

Officials said the survey results showed that young people simply do not see the Army as a safe place or a good career path. In addition, many young people said military service would force them to put their lives and careers on hold if they joined.

Republicans blame "wokeness"

Some American lawmakers had partly blamed the Army's recruiting problems on the idea that "wokeness" is influencing the military. "Wokeness" is a term that began as a way to describe attentiveness⁵ to issues of racial and social justice. Some people and groups, especially conservatives, now use the word in a derogatory way to express their opposition⁶ to wokeness.

Republican Congressman⁷ Jim Banks of Indiana has said the administration of President Joe Biden's "woke" policies are "driving down military recruitment and retention⁸." A spokesman for Banks said a top goal for the congressman will be to fight "wokeness" at the Defense⁹ Department.

Banks and other Republican lawmakers have also expressed opposition to military efforts to target extremism, provide instruction on critical race theory and other efforts to expand diversity. Critical race theory is a way of understanding American society that places great importance on how race shaped its politics and culture.

However, the Army says that on average, only 5 percent of people involved in the study listed "wokeness" as an issue. About 13 percent said they believed women and minorities would face discrimination and not get the same chances in the Army.

Major General Alex Fink is the head of marketing¹⁰ for the Army. He told The Associated Press the top three reasons young people give for rejecting military service are the same across all the services. They include fear of death, worries about war-caused medical conditions and leaving friends and families – in that order. He said the Army is seeking a better understanding of any additional barriers recruits might currently see.

Fink added that a majority of young people "just don't see the Army as something that's relevant."

Words in This Story

recruit – v. try to persuade someone to work for an organization or join the military

incentive – n. something that encourages someone to act in a particular way or to take a particular action

derogatory – adj. showing strong disapproval¹¹ and not respect for someone

retain – v. keep or continue something

diversity – n. a situation in which many different kinds of things or people are included in something

relevant – adj. related or useful to what is happening or being talked about

1 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

2 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

3 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 attentiveness   

[医]注意

参考例句：

• They all helped one another with humourous attentiveness. 他们带着近于滑稽的殷勤互相周旋。 来自辞典例句
• Is not attentiveness the nature of, even the function of, Conscious? 专注不正是大我意识的本质甚或活动吗？ 来自互联网

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

11 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。