Too few, not proud enough

Yet this isn’t a money problem; it’s a cultural problem.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed to many young Americans that for nearly a decade the military and its leadership have been vocally focused on public campaigns to tamp down sexual harassment and assault in the ranks, while advocating suicide prevention and anti-racism efforts. These initiatives may be worthy ones, but from a brass-tacks point of view, if Apple, Amazon, or any other American company went around advertising that these companies were singularly focused on eliminating sexual harassment and suicide, would that come off as an enticing place to work to its potential-employee pool?

A free people have their part in this story as well. Many American parents, steeped in a culture of safety-ism, view the military as too dangerous for their kids and have discouraged a stint in the armed forces, let alone a career, while pushing for college-at-all-costs. And too many potential recruits see the military as a faceless bureaucracy and uniformed service as having nothing whatever to do with their life and experience, opting for the easy-for-now path rather than the challenge of military service. Too many college kids remain deadly focused on internships and that first job offer rather than pursuing Officer Candidate School and a commission.