How would you solve the military recruiting challenges currently facing DOD?

You can pick any of the aforementioned reasons as the cause. Lowering standards will always be a “short-term gain, long-term loss” scenario. Can you name any other industry that lowers standards and succeeds? I can’t.

Draft,

How to solve the military recruiting challenges?
First of all get rid of the Pedophile/Wokeism administration. Fire General Woke Milley and all woke officers, do NOT encourage woke/Trans/Gays, etc. Into the Military, find REAL MAN, not mama's boys. Stay away from G.I. Janes!
We all heard this saying: Old School is the only way..........

I am a recruiter in civilian work and a 1LT in the Army reserve. I can only speak to my experience. The younger generation joins the military for 1 of 3 reasons in my opinion:

1. Patriotism/duty to country/duty to family
2. Benefits of some kind that the military offer/steady income
3. Some people truly want to be in an organization where they can legally harm other people.

This is just my opinion but the majority that I have met are from categories 1 and 2. Category 1 is getting close to non existent in my generation (I am 24) and therefore most people joining now are category 2. The biggest problem is that we are trying to recruit people with benefits and when you do that people simply do 4 years and get out and use their benefits. We need to be recruiting people that love our country and we are not because there's less of those people and many of those people think the military is no longer about loving our country because of recent political events. Btw this has nothing to do with certain politicians just an observation on my part.

My understanding is that a large portion of recruits don’t make the weight standards (or they’re obese according to Army regulations and guidelines). As a prior Commander of a Fitness Training Unit (FTU), these recruits were allowed to enter military service/basic training, completing all other BCT requirements, but failed the final APFT. They were sent to our FTU for an additional 3 attempts (2-3 weeks) at passing the APFT. If they didn’t make it then, they were released from military service (chaptered, failure to adapt). I’m not sure if these units still exist at BCT? Just my 2 cents…Respectfully, Mark Bolton, USA (retired).

Get this woke mentality out of the military. Quit cramming this woke agenda down Americans throats. I have no problem with gays but don’t force it on people. PDA! Once in uniform your a soldier and nothing else. Outside of that you do you.

An ad campaign that promotes duty, honor, patriotism, strength and courage should always be the basis for encouraging young people to join. I believe that those things are still generally respected and sought for. The folks who join are young and will be forged into proud young men and women who believe in and promote those things. They are smart; the women are all beautiful and the men are all handsome. Hey, it's an ad. Social warriors and those seeking a surgical procedure need not apply. Everyone who joins has already shown that they are a cut above the general population, and they should be respected for that. Use our military heroes, medal of honor winners, action heroes, etc. to verbally put that message out. Reinvent the propaganda campaigns of WWII.

We need to go back to tradition. Get the woke trash out. No MAN wants to serve with that. Once the 2024 election is complete then that should help also. Current CIC is brain dead.

Unfortunately the US Military has become a sad parody of what it once was. The vast majority of folks who really wanted to be in the military look at it now and run the other way. Thank God I retired before all this nonsense started.
Stop making us look like the laughing stock of the planet and bring back pride and honor to the US military. Then you might see more people signing up.

Become warriors again. Get rid of the woke tranny agenda. Let men be men.