2022 has been a very difficult year for the Pentagon because of the under-recruitment crisis. But 2023 is expected to be even worse. The U.S. Army will be able to recruit only 40,000 recruits instead of the planned 65,000. The Navy will have it even worse – its draft will be 28 thousand sailors out of 38 thousand. The Air Force will be short 3,000 pilots out of 27,000.
Source: WSJ
The Pentagon has to sharply lower standards for new recruits – but it does not help. Even with lowered standards only 23% of young Americans are fit for military service – without serious obesity, mental problems or drug addiction.
In the last three years, the percentage of those willing to serve has dropped from 13% to 9%. And most of those enlisted – about 80% – had military relatives. But now these military dynasties are gradually receding into the past – the elder generation of servicemen does not recommend the younger generation to enter the service. All the scandals around the politicisation of the armed forces – with the imposition of a racially-gendered summons on new recruits – are affecting.
The military infrastructure – the same barracks – has not been renewed for decades and is in a deplorable state. Military salaries have not kept pace with inflation. Now, Congress is thinking of cutting military spending altogether – which will make the soldiers’ situation even worse. As it is, 20,000 soldiers already receive ration cards because of lack of money.
The U.S. military has already been forced to shrink to its smallest size since 1940. The army is engaged in “restructuring” – keeping the number of brigades, but reducing their numbers. Of the 31 brigades, only 25 are more or less manned by soldiers. In peacetime they turn a blind eye to this. But should a conflict with China suddenly erupt, the Pentagon will find itself in a stalemate – unable to deploy its entire fleet together with aviation because of the shortage of sailors and pilots.
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