What do you see as the military's greatest challenge in 2023 and why?

At this point in life what isn't a challenge in the military!!!! I work at a Naval Installation and I just can't believe the disrespect that happens on a daily basis. Let me explain, I do not know Navy rank or anything about the Navy. I'm a former Army Guy (Hoahhhhh!!!) I know that the lower enlisted should not be hanging out with higher enlisted. I do know that you should not call anyone Bro or Dude. I could be wrong and maybe it's where I work, but that kind of disrespect and especially in front of your peers is just ridiculous. Again if your in the shop and a few of you are there then I'm ok with that but in front of higher up is a no-go. But I'm sure this is happening in all branches and it's a challenge for me being out the military for years now it just frustrating where you want to slap the shit out of them for saying it and the ones who don't put them in check. It's like we lost military bearing.

The reduced standards to enter the military and the failure of major combat systems to perform as they should

The number one issue i believe that the armed forces are facing today is the lack of young men and women wanting to join the services. Low recruitment rates are only getting lower and lower every year which ultimately if it keeps going at that rate then we wont have any volunteers to willfully join. In my own opinion this is due to several reasons that I would like to bring to the front of our attention in this response:
The first is due to the astronomical amount of misinformation and propaganda being spread to our youth by individuals and organizations who do not have the country’s best interest at heart. Instead it is being fed lies about how the armed forces are in a sense their enemy and not their leaders. By doing this we are telling our youth that allowing open borders is a necessary decision and that immigrants shouldn’t have to Follow the guidelines to become citizens correctly and we should overwhelm our community resources and safety instead of protecting our communities like we should. This isn’t an anti-immigrant speech by any means my great grandparents both immigrated to America the legal way and both my grand fathers ended up serving honorably in the Navy and Army respectfully during their time. This instilled into me a sense of National pride and a mindset that lead me to join and serve my time and two tours in Iraq (2007-2009) where i was ultimately injured from a chemical gas intake which lead to my medical discharge earlier then I wanted but it happens for reasons sometime we don't know until I later in life. I offered my service because of an urge i had since i was young to serve in the Army and I always feel it was what i I had to do during my life time,. Now i know not every young man is a warrior at heart that’s why there are service and assistance jobs that help oil a well built machine for the past 200 years which makes our military what it is today.
By having our youth serve just a few years in a military branch i Believe we can get out of the state of decay we have been goin through the past several years. The reason is because of the vast array of images that the internet and social media sites portray as admirable and honorable which really are the opposite. We praise the criminal and drug dealers who poison our youth and shun the veterans who openly want to help raise their communities to higher levels not watch them be destroyed from the inside. From a system that preaches get rich quick schemes off the backs of our fellow community members just to show off in front of those same members that are being preyed upon in the sense of personal gain.
We need to be raising leaders that are capable of selfless service and pillars of our respected communities that are willing to stand for what is right and help push out what is destructive to our society as a whole. We need leaders who are socially responsible, mentally, physically and spiritually right that can lead the way for the younger generations to come in order for our society to truly evolve and succeed. Not just economically, but socially and spiritually as well. By weeding out the ones who prey on their fellow neighbors to make a few dollars we create young men and women’ who will help raise their communities up and set examples for others to follow. To have the great leaders of today teach the youth how to become pillars and great leaders and set examples of how to be, what type of morals to have and to show, what it means to be great and what it means to be just in times where the unjust rule and are praised.
I speak passionately about this subject because i truly believe that we need to come together and take care of our fellow neighbors and uplift our communities to greater heights, and the path we are currently heading down is one of vanity and falsities that are the only thing we are shown. I believe that it’s our currently serving members and our veterans who are prime examples of what socially and spiritually just members of our society look like. Individuals ready to stand up against adversity and those who wish to corrupt the youth. To not allow our cities and communities to be over ridden with force and brutality when compassion is needed along with understanding that can set examples to our friends, families and neighbors. They set examples for what it means to stand for our country and our rights, to stand for our morals and values that make us the melting pot country we are today and stand for LOVE and UNITY because united we stand and divided we fall. Without the proper encouragement and guidance our youth stands no chance of a greater tomorrow, instead they face a reality of devastation and corruption where the only things that seem to matter to them are their own well being and safety. We can see how that frame of mind will set our communities up for failure. WE can see that the youth are our future and if we don’t do right by them and set fourth good examples of what it means to be an American, then ultimately we failed them and that’s something I can not stand by.
I feel as a Leading source of excellence,the armed force as a whole, need to show what it means to be these things I have discussed and change the mind sets of thousands of youth. To not be afraid and to not just stand by, but to be active and help elevate our country to the greatest country on Earth as we are known to be. Let us set fourth change and make a difference.

Retention is by far the biggest issue in the military today and it will likely always be the foremost concern. Bad leaders will burn out their troops and wonder why no one chooses to reenlist. I certainly understand that the military has a specific purpose and sacrifices have to be made in order to achieve that purpose, but there is no need to constantly beat your troops morale down especially in peacetime.

The biggest issue facing the future of the US military can be summed up in one word: recruitment. While this oversimplifies the issue, it is true that low recruitment numbers raise questions about why fewer people are interested in serving. The answer is two-fold: marketing and the nation's culture.

As a Gen Xer, I remember that recruitment commercials that worked well featured Marines fighting dragons. Additionally, as a kid, I had G.I. Joe toys and watched the animated TV show, so I knew all about the war on terror before there was ever a war on terror. However, when I joined up, it was two months after 9/11, which was a huge event similar to Pearl Harbor.

Now contrast that with the recent Army commercials featuring a girl with two moms who proved her strength in ways other than doing pull-ups. The changing nature of recruitment messaging highlights the need for a deeper examination of how marketing and cultural barriers can be addressed. This plays a huge role in increasing recruitment and strengthening our military.

Unlike my generation, these kids had to deal with the George Floyd riots. Compare that to the flag-waving patriots in the days that followed the towers coming down. There is no way these kids today can even imagine seeing the American flag in every yard on every street. Even saying that seems like I am talking about an episode of Star Trek. But that was what was going on when I joined up.

The formula being used today in order to chase after the target market has changed a lot, and new buzzwords and fears of not being seen as inclusive enough have taken over. However, replacing the American flag with the rainbow flag is not going to make anybody want to join. At least not compared to some of the previous generations of recruits. It reminds me of some bad marketing decisions that were made back in the '80s with New Coke or more recent Bud Light. Both of these campaigns were a huge failure all because the marketing team was out of touch with the consumer base.

The culture and marketing strategies have shifted, and being in the military is no longer glamorized in the way it was before. It's not surprising to see recruitment advertising failing, almost like my first year of college - oh, those were good times. Anyway, it's important to consider changing the messaging to portray joining the military as something that can make you look and feel like a rock star. By doing so, we may see an increase in recruitment numbers at the MEP's station

To promote leaders who love God, Love the Country and do not cower to politicians.

Recruitment and Arbitrary Medical Disqualification:

Getting young people to commit to anything for more than 2 months is a brutal challenge. The GI Bill is not the enchanting academic savior it once was as a whole generation has become disenfranchised by a brutally capitalist college landscape that can no longer promise the paychecks and prestige they used to guarantee. The dropping of the guaranteed retirement system simply means that retention and turn over has become chaotic with little incentive to stay past one or 2 enlistments.

The military MEPS intake docs seems to have full access to a digital health care filing system (Genisys?) that will literally give the DOD access to every medical note taken on a candidate since birth. MEPS Docs already had plenty of ways to disqualify potential future enlistees. With this new system they can see that a kid may have had a sleep walking diagnosis when they were 5 or had ADHD meds thrown at them when they were 10. I feel this data combined with the scatter-shot way doctors prescribe meds or make diagnosis especially in early child hood has led to a much higher "wash out" rate at MEPS because of the sheer amount of personal history a candidate will need to overcome and get a clearance note from a present physician (at their own cost...) that many perfectly good candidates are being shown the door never to return.

Protecting the health and wellness of service members and families, adjusting and adapting to climate change. Assisting veterans with toxic exposure along with possible new claims for active service members.

China, Russia, Korea, and Ttump

Staying on top of China military threat