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

Maybe start by getting back to basics: in the end, recruitment is a sales games, complete with incentives, commissions, bonus structures, bottom lines, and quotas. In order to sell, you must understand -- and I mean really, deeply understand -- your target audience. And you must be willing to accept certain realities and facts about human motivation which may be . . . shall we say . . . unpopular with (or dare I say even offensive to some) in the current political climate.

Enlisting in or commissioning into the US Military can be influenced by a combination of factors, including personality traits, personal motivations, cultural factors, and societal influences. The short list would be something like the following:

1. Patriotism and National Identity: Many individuals feel a strong sense of duty and loyalty to their country, which motivates them to serve in the military and defend their nation. Patriotism can be influenced by cultural factors and societal norms.

Question: Is your outreach and advertising patriotic and designed to appeal to people who consider themselves patriots? If not, you're missing the boat.

2. Economic Opportunities and Job Stability: For some individuals, the military offers stable employment and financial benefits, especially in regions with limited job opportunities. Joining the military can provide access to education, skills training, and career advancement.

Question: Are you allocating enough of that big DOD budget for salaries and bonuses to a) minimize attrition on those you've already vetted and trained into a role and to b) appeal to people who might otherwise be drawn to jobs outside the .mil? If not, most people will seek out less strenuous/dangerous jobs that do not come with a multi-year contractual obligation.

3. Family Tradition and Social Influence: In some families and communities, a tradition of military service exists, and members may feel a sense of obligation or pride in continuing that legacy.

Question: This circles back around to #1 above - Patriotism - but this time it's part of ones family identity. Are you reaching out to Veterans and giving them any incentive at all to refer a family member to join? Are you attuning your advertising to appeal to people with a tradition of service in their family, to instill in them a sense of pride in joining that tradition? If not, you're leaving free money on the table in both cases.

4. Desire for Adventure and Challenge: The military often appeals to individuals seeking adventure, physical challenges, and the opportunity to test their limits in various situations.

Question: In this day and age where people pay money to go to a gym, try all kinds of fad diets and silly "influencers," why not show them Before and After photos of soldiers and sailors? My son was reasonably slim before he went to BCT, but after BCT he was ripped. Show that. People these days are very concerned with physical appearance. Let them know this is a job that actively supports and encourages physical fitness and healthy diet. Then also show the crazy, exciting, dangerous things people in certain roles get to do that would make Tom Cruise envious!

5. Education Benefits: The GI Bill and other educational assistance programs provide opportunities for service members to pursue higher education or vocational training, which can be a significant incentive for some.

Question: When was the last time you saw an ad that mentioned the GI Bill? I can't remember either. Get testimonies from people who served and later became doctors, lawyers, astronauts, law enforcement, and maybe even people who joined various other parts of government service (e.g., CIA, FBI, Secret Service), etc. because their military service not only gave them essential experience and secret clearance levels, etc., it also enabled them to get the education needed to do these important jobs.

6. Personal Growth and Discipline: The military can offer structure and discipline, and for some individuals, it represents a path to personal growth and character development.

See #4. People want to feel they matter, and they want to believe they are important and have agency in their lives. Show how military training leads to that high level of personal development and competence both in the .mil and afterward out in the civilian world.

7. Job Specialization and Skill Acquisition: Some people join the military to acquire specialized skills that can be transferred to civilian careers after their service.

See #4 and #6.

8. Desire to Serve and Make a Difference: Many individuals are motivated by a genuine desire to serve their country and contribute to something larger than themselves.

Question: Are you letting people know that, if you join, you can become not only a doctor, but a physical therapist, an EMT, a nurse, a veterinarian, a chef, or a teacher? People who enjoy serving others would love the idea that the military can provide them with the training to become that thing while serving their country. Again - get testimonies: "I learned how to train service animals!" "I became a photographer!" "I teach others marine search and rescue techniques!"

9. Financial Incentives: In addition to education benefits, the military may offer signing bonuses and other financial incentives to attract new recruits.

See #2.

10. Challenges in the Civilian World: Economic hardships or lack of opportunities in the civilian world may lead some individuals to consider the military as a viable alternative.

Question: How much is your outreach focusing on stability? Because yes, it can be a long and demanding commitment, but also there are so man opportunities, and the chance to explore them in a stable employment environment.

At the end of the day, the .mil is a WAR MACHINE. It doesn't exist for wish fulfillment, or to validate people's feelings. It is designed to kill people and break things, or to at least be prepared to do those two things at the drop of a hat. You need to accept the reality of that and work on attracting people who -- for the 10 reasons outline above -- are willing to get on board with supporting Job #1. Anything else is just political posturing.

Bring back 2-3 year enlistments with renlistment bonus, or mandatory drilling reserve obligation. Also just loosen the medical standards. Huge problem that you can’t hide childhood asthma, adhd meds when you were a kid. Knocks out a lot of kids that will be just fine active duty.

I used be an ARMY recruiter many years ago. The reason the numbers in recruiting have gone down is because the new rules and regulations that are in place this days. When I joined many years ago there were incentives for people to join the military. Now this days you do not get the same benefits like dental for defendants and free dental care for retirees. There are to much politics involved in the system. Recruits get in thinking that everything will be one thing and then when they are in they figure out that what they promised is not real.

I know plenty hispanic people that want to enlist but they cannot there is many hispanics that are willing to join the military. The ASVAB is in English and they cannot pass the exam because the English Barrier. I suggested an idea to the recruiting command commander 2 star general when I was in recruiting since I was sent to Puerto Rico to do my recruiting duty. The biggest barrier is the English language barrier that was the problem then and it continues to be.

Since most of the hispanic recruits are sent ESL School in Lackland Air Force Base for the ESL school. My suggestion was to provide the ASVAB in Spanish to the applicants do not assign an MOS then when they finish the ESL class give the applicants the English version and if they pass then assign them the MOS they qualify for based on the English version.

Many youths today are grand children of the hippies and liberals of the 1960's. With that thought in mind, they more than likely have two generations of "wise adults" that abhor the military so there is no leadership, that is Veterans of service or wars, to provide direction, provide proper discipline, or someone to set a patriotic example for them. Those kids can provide a lot of peer pressure to others in schools and colleges, not unlike the growing anti-Zionist movement embarrassing the USA today. Just a thought Carlos.

Kids don't play Army anymore because guns and war are scary. Not my view, but apparently the prevailing view in our current society.

Common sense answer: why would any ambitious, eligible, qualified, capable young man (forget the female supporting desk jockeys) have any desire to get involved with this circus once known as “our military”? We’re talking here about the boots on the ground, eye ball to eye ball, belly to belly spit in your eye kick ass grunts. Only units that are close to fulfilling their quotas for new recruits are the prime, no nonsense, actual kick Butt personal that have escaped the onslaught of insanity seen in the decaying, demoralizing military over the past 4-5 years. Rangers, Special Ops, SEALS, Tactical Marine units that got to have what it takes or get dumped. True only 45% <> that try to join the military today pass the muster. Overweight, past felons, addicts, too dumb fail the written, or flunk the psychological evaluations. Even after the years of lowering, then lowering again the physical and mental standards. But believe me, the actual good ole boys that are made up examples of the past great ones, are still out there long desiring to serve and disgusted with what has happened. Call em what you will, but they ain’t going to give a thought about being part of this published military circus we now have. The response I mainly get from young men who question me about my service in the Military, is the low standards now in place to prove their manhood, the powerpuff, physical endurance to prove themselves, the lack of discipline, the tolerance of those who are supposed to train and harden them as a fighting force, they consider a joke. (no offense, the truth hurts I realize, but) How many bright strapping young men, potential excellent recruits, tell the same unacceptable situation that removes any military desire or duty to serve is common. From the get go, of DIs “If some bun headed, scrawny woman starts yelling in my face trying to teach me how to do something, I’m going to tell her where to go and leave, or pop her one”. That’s just natural for 99% of most military grade young men, they say they don’t need another pretend mother. Young men that have no desire or tolerance for this Gay, Trans, lglelgkleijt+ BS, and there is nothing anyone can do to change their thinking. They are natural American young men just like all the great warriors of the past. Don’t expect any change in any shortage of personal or recruit’s, till conditions, status, qualifications or requirements of personal, return to the past and clean the mess up.

take better care of your past and current veterans. The newbies will see how you treat veterans and would more likely to join.

1. Start a draft so serving responsibility is shared across all classes of society . Not many rich kids serving unless they’re officers .
2. Mandatory fitness prep 4 yrs in high school like Korea does . They teach Tae Kwon do which is not a martial art . It’s consider excercise PE to prepare for military service where they teach real martial art of Hwrang do or tang so do . This is for the fat kid game players to prepare for service .
3. Get rid of woke DEI crap . We had gays In military . In fact we all wanted to work under the first class since he was fair . We ate at his home with his chef boyfriend . Nobody cares until you single yourself out and demand special privileges. Also when I was in promotions were not fair . Your out states or working 16 hr days in a hell hole and the women would be at all the best duty assignments sitting at a desk as a senior chiefs assistant . They got promoted because they sat and studied all day . I had friends who got out because after 4 yrs of sea duty they were offered crap holes like Fallon Nevada , 29 palms/ stumps and China lake . The females took up all the good duty station assignments ,don’t know if that has changed as they have more women in combat posts now . No disrespect to women who served but in the past they only allowed women on supply ships and tenders and were limited on some overseas assignments . It created a lot of ill will in the military . I was part of the experiment of putting women on carriers in the late 80’s-90’s . This DEI woke trams crap is destroying the military and it’s embarrassing . Look at the tv ads . No wonder nobody wants to sign up .

Who in the hell wants to serve under a admiral or general who wears a dress and lipstick color matched to his earring's?

I am an 80-year-old VN veteran, so I don't know what motivates young people; however, my guess is 1) Most young people have more options nowadays and don't have the threat of the draft; 2) Peer pressure would not be coming from buddies already in or about to join the military; 3) Native born people (and therefore probably better educated and more employable) have less to gain than recently arrived immigrants; 4) the current induction standards (education and physical) are too high.