The military services of the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force are an all-volunteer force. These individuals have volunteered their time, energy, and abilities to serve and protect the American public. Being an all-volunteer force comes at a price – the inability to fill every job needed for the military services.
The job market outside of the military, the civilian job market as it were, has seen great changes in the last decade. The minimum wage rising to double digits is just the beginning. The pandemic showed that many civilian jobs could be done remotely effectively, leading many Americans to continue their work at home with the easier commute and improved work-life balance. While the military is no longer supporting Operation Enduring Freedom overseas, the operational tempo of preparedness has not slowed in all branches of the military.
In the spring of 2022, the Air Force announced that they would be offering bonuses upwards of $50,000 to recruits who were open to going to training quickly. According to a press release, qualified recruits were offered bonuses with they would leave within five days or less.
In January of 2022, the Army announced that for the first time ever they would be offering enlistment bonuses of $50,000 to highly skilled individuals committing to six years. Until January of this year, the maximum bonus was $40,000. That’s still a sizable amount.
The Navy has now offered a bonus of $25,000 for those who will commit to leaving in a matter of weeks after their commitment.
Other offerings of retention bonuses are being offered to keep the U.S. military up to snuff. Major General Ed Thomas, the Air Force Recruiting Service commander, shared in an interview with Military.com that the military recognizes its competition in the civilian job force. “If you can work at Buc-ee’s along I-35 in Texas you can do it for $25-an-hour starting salary. You can start at Target for $29 an hour with educational benefits. So you start looking at the competition: Starbucks, Google, Amazon. The battle for talent amidst this current labor shortage is intense.”
According to Lisa Lawrence, a Pentagon spokesperson, the Department of Defense saw about 200,000 transitioning military members. According to the Air Force Times, about half the number of airmen enlisted in 2021 as compared to the previous year. The Army reported that they did not meet the recruiting goals by several thousand. This means that the number of individuals transitioning out of service in a year are not matching the number that are entering. There are less military members overall.
What does this mean for the military? Recruiting and retention bonuses are at an all-time high. The Air Force is dedicated $31 million to recruiting bonuses this year which is about double the planned budget. The Army has increased their enlistment bonus to $50,000 and offering a first duty station of choice – a surprising move for any military family who knows you are the mercy of the military as to where you live. The Air Force is offering up to $100,000 in reenlistment bonuses and the Navy is offering jobs like network cryptologist incentives to make pay around $90-$100,000.
It isn’t just money or job potential that is threatening the all-volunteer force. It is also the health of the recruitable group – the 17 to 24 year olds. Per the CDC, about 40% of that population is obese – a metric that deems them unable to join the military services as they would not meet the physical fitness standards. In addition, the pandemic has led to a division- those who vaccinate and those who do not. The military requires vaccination for COVID to remain in the military service, and certainly requires it for recruits. According to Senator Thom Tillis of the Senate Armed Services Committee, only 8% of the American population has even considered military service. With such a small group even considering, and the job market providing ample opportunities, will the military fill their ranks?
I am a retired US Air Force Chief Master Sergeant (E-9) with over 30-years on active duty. I have pretty much seen it all; not everything, but enough to feel I have a right to offer some insight.
Why would anyone (can I still use that pronoun?) want to join the military. Many, many in today’s administration dream of a “World Utopia” where we all hold hands, sing “Kumbaya” and all share a Coca-Cola…
What does an enlistment bonus hold for a young person when they rave about the recent double digit minimum wage for anyone who even shows up, let alone even perform any task. Or how about all the folks who no longer have to take any test to prove they have the knowledge, skills, or even aptitude to attend college, where attendance is not mandatory or even encouraged. And when they ultimately drop out, their school loans are forgiven. Or have to walk all the way to end of the hall to use a rest room, because you are welcome to use which ever one strikes your fancy… Or anyone who has internet access can apply for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan from the government to “protect the salaries of their employees” when they do not have an business, nor even a job… Or collect any of the other multitude of incentive cash “prizes” just for being you…
No, I do not see any reason for a young one to join the military, especially with helicopter parents who can change the sex of their child from boy to girl, or from girl to boy, just because they really wanted a boy rather than a girl or vice versa…
And what is this with “Dead names?” If you do not like your name, get it changed legally. Then no one has a right to call you anything differently… If it’s on your birth certificate, your driver’s license, your passport, it’s you name, like it or not.
Now that schools have removed requirements to pass comprehension final exams to pass a subject. And schools no longer require students (really pupils, just because they are only on the attendance rooster…) to pass any tests to enroll in an advanced placement class, how can the military test an applicant for aptitude, skill, and intelligence when they probably never took a test since such archaic divisiveness would hurt their “self-esteem,,,” while the attended school.
I was a Chief Master Sergeant (E-9) for the last 10-years of my career and I watched with great sadness as my role as a manager, supervisor, and leader change during the ’90s to that of “Cheer Leader.” If someone messed up, either through a lack of knowledge, a lack of skill, or just plain laziness, I was expected to “dress them up, rather than a severe “dressing down…”
When I retired in 2000, I did not leave with heavy heart, because the Air Force that I loved, had taken a road to somewhere else…
When I wanted to impress on an individual that what I was asking of them (let’s be honest, it was really an order…) was not all that hard or difficult, since we had all raised our right hands and taken an oath to defend this country. That we had all “waived” the Unlimited Liability Clause (that we would give out lives for our country) and I was not asking (ordering) them to charge up a hill in the face of an enemy machine gun, and to hear them whine how hot, dirty, or uncomfortable it was to do their job, made me want to go find that enemy machine gun nest…
I remember President Kennedy’s inaugural address to the nation when he uttered those famous words, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” when he challenged every American to contribute in some way to the public good. Today’s Americans more often than not ask, “What is the government going to do for me?”
So, I believe today’s youth will not want to serve in the military; but, rather want to be than served in the military.