As recruitment tanks, the military aims for more boots on the ground

FALLS VILLAGE — Earlier this month, a U.S. Air Force recruiter manned a table at Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s (HVRHS) cafeteria. 

Armed with swag and promotional pamphlets, he fielded questions from curious students and touted the merits of a military career.

Army recruiters also paid the school a visit in 2023, and a spokesman for the Marine Corps said the Region One school is due for a visit from its local recruiter soon.

“When the military comes, they are very well received,” said Kirin Terni, HVRHS’s college and career center coordinator. “The students seem engaged” in conversations with the uniformed visitors, she said, adding, “We are very open to any career paths they consider.”

While it is not unusual for representatives of all the major branches of the Armed Forces to visit high school students throughout the school year, the pressure is mounting for recruiters to put more young people in uniform.

Except for the Marine Corps, all major branches of the military missed their recruitment goals in 2023, making it the worst recruiting year since the institution of the all-volunteer force in 1973, according to local recruiters.

Simply put, the U.S. military is in a war for talent. 

A number of factors are causing young people to shun Uncle Sam, said military officials. 

To name a few: A hot job market; increased competition from the state’s community colleges, which are offering free tuition; fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, which, for two years, prevented face-to-face contact with the public; and escalating global conflicts.

“There are a lot of programs helping students get into the workplace where they qualify for immediate employment” in addition to lofty bonuses and on-the-job training, noted HVRHS Principal Ian Strevor. 

According to Defense Department polling data, when asked, only 9% of Americans expressed a willingness to serve in the military. On top of that, the number of people eligible for service has dropped to 23%, with obesity and low test scores being major barriers to enlistment.

To solve the recruiting crisis, it is essential to bridge the gap between the military and the public, said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kimberly Nagle, the marketing NCO in charge of the 319th Reservists Squadron, which oversees recruitment in six New England states.

She cited differences between the Gen Z population, who are the prime age for recruiting but lack interest in enlisting, and previous generations, who were more familiar with and supportive of the military.

“We’re hitting social media to get the word out, giving bonuses quarterly and we’re pushing out the Space Force. That’s our shiny, new tool,” which has generated “a lot of interest. We’re feeling confident heading into 2024 and want to do everything we can to keep our Air Force running efficiently.”

In an effort to target the Gen Z population, the Navy recently introduced its new ad campaign, “Forged by the Sea,” featuring videos of soldiers explaining why they chose to enlist.

According to recruiters, a young person is more likely to enlist if they come from a family of military veterans. 

Recruiters are most effective when they have boots on the ground meeting face-to-face in local communities, which, until recently was limited, said Capt. Matthew Sims, Future Ops OIC, who oversees the Army’s Northeast Battalion headquarters covering the Hudson Valley up to Albany, New York, plus Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts. 

Earlier this year, all major branches of the military were represented at a job fair sponsored by the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, including recruiters from the Armed Forces Military Recruitment Depot in Torrington, which covers the Northwest Corner. Their presence was a popular draw with attendees.

“People are very respectful and honorable, and I think our country still believes in the military, but there is a lack of understanding of how differentiated opportunities are,” said Sims. He noted that while the enticements from fast food chains look good on the surface, young people fail to equate it to what the military has to offer. 

“They don’t think of the opportunities for upward mobility, career satisfaction and benefits, that are basically unparalleled, and the Army is taking steps to communicate that through the “Be All You Can Be” campaign, Sims explained.

He compared roles within the military to a professional sports organization. “You need equipment managers, coaches, physical therapists, engineers, medics. We have all that to support our combat arms athletes in the field.”

Sims, who enlisted as a medic out of high school and worked his way up the ranks, noted that “people do come in with concerns” about the possibility of deployment to a war zone, and that a military career “may not be for everyone. 

“It is a commitment, and the possibility of seeing combat,” even if a chosen career, does not necessarily involve the front lines is made very clear to recruits and their families, said Sims. “When you raise your right hand, it is because you’re willing to go to conflict areas.”

According to a fall 2022 poll by the Department of Defense of youth ages 16-21, physical and emotional trauma (70% and 65% respectively) are the most common reasons for not considering joining the military, followed by leaving family and friends (58%), other career interests (46%), and dislike of military lifestyle (40%).

On average, one or two HVRHS students per graduating class enlist in the military, according to Terni.

“We had two or three sign up a couple of years ago, but that was an anomaly,” she explained. “Since the pandemic, a student’s plan for the future has become more ambiguous between the family’s decision and the student’s. It’s not as clear now.”