Most military recruits come from families of people who served. Experts say that's not...

The U.S. military's new recruiting classes are heavily tilted toward family members of people who've served. That's raising questions about the sustainability of military recruiting practices, especially during one of the worst recruiting years in decades.

Halfway through this year’s recruiting process, the Army was only at 23% of its goal. The other branches are seeing similar levels.

"This is arguably the most challenging recruiting year since the inception of the all-volunteer force," Lt. Gen. David Ottignon, the Marine Corps officer in charge of manpower, testified before a Senate committee in April.

One problem is an overreliance on recruits who come from military families.

According to the Pew Research Center, 60% of veterans under 40 have an immediate family member who served. Among new recruits, 30% have a parent in the military, and 70% report a family member in the armed forces. That’s especially striking considering that fewer than 1% of Americans have any military service time.