US military sees sharp drop in white recruits

Proportion of white recruits fell from 56.4 per cent in 2018 to 44 per cent last year whilst number of black and Hispanic recruits remained static – BO ZAUNDERS

The US army has seen a dramatic drop in the number of white recruits, according to a new study.

Last year, according to the Military.com website, the army fell 10,000 short of its 65,000 enlistment target.

Underpinning the drop is a dramatic decrease in white recruits from 44,042 in 2018 to 25,070 in 2023, representing a six per cent reduction in just one year.

It meant that the proportion of white recruits fell from 56.4 per cent in 2018 to 44 per cent.

At the same time, the number of black and Hispanic recruits remained static.

The trend meant that the proportion of black recruits increased from 20 to 24 per cent and Hispanics from 17 to 24 per cent.

While US military numbers in Iraq are now a small fraction of 170,000 at the peak of American involvement, commitments elsewhere have risen, especially in the Pacific.

The shortfall is seeing soldiers spend more time away from home, which, in itself, is making a military career less attractive.

‘Fear of death or injury’

Last year, Christine Wormuth, the US army secretary, said the military was facing a “serious situation”.

She told National Public Radio: “When we ask kids about, you know, what are the barriers to thinking about joining the army? – they tell us, fear of death or injury, fear of leaving friends and family, leaving home.

“They think somehow, the army will put their life on hold.”

She added that the wars which followed the Sept 11 attacks had deterred people from wanting to enlist.

“I think a lot of young people may think that if they join the army they’re immediately going to be sent to some foreign country and immediately be sent into combat.”

Last month Ashish Vazirani, the Pentagon’s acting under-secretary for personnel, told Congress that the military faced serious recruitment problems.

“The all-volunteer force faces one of its greatest challenges since inception,” he said.

A stronger economy meant there were more options for employment.

Also, the number of young people whose parents had served in the military had fallen from 40 per cent in 1995 to 12 per cent in 2022.

“This has led to a disconnect between the military and a large share of society,” he said.

“Youth of today are not saying no to what the military has to offer. They simply don’t know much about military service.”

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