There are not enough soldiers for the Army. According to projections, the military will have 466,000 personnel by the conclusion of the current fiscal year, falling around 20,000 shy of the target, according to CBS News. The number is anticipated to fall to between 445,000 and 452,000 at the end of the 2023 fiscal year, continuing the downward trend. In a recent memo, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville outlined all of this information as well as prospective recruitment-boosting strategies, primarily signing incentives and more options for where recruits will ultimately be stationed.
According to USA Today, military recruiting often declines when the private sector is experiencing strong employment. In 2022, with unemployment hanging around historic lows, this is definitely the case. The Army is providing $35,000 bonuses for those who can ship out within 45 days of recruiting and $50,000 bonuses for those who sign up for six years.
According to the newspaper, the Army had only attained 68% of its objective as of April, which represents a shortage of almost 8,000 soldiers. The Air Force, Marines, and Space Force were all on track with their recruitment targets, while the Navy fell short by only 8%, or roughly 1,500 sailors.
According to CNN, Gen. Joseph Martin, vice chief of staff of the Army, told a House subcommittee this week that “we’ve got unprecedented issues with both a post-COVID-19 environment and labor market, as well as private competition with private corporations that have changed their incentives over time.”
The Army will have fallen short of its initial aim by around 28,000 soldiers if the predictions for 2023 come true. Only 23% of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 meet the physical qualifications to join the Army, according to Martin, a number that is also declining.