Blame the COVID Hangover O
ne factor in the Pentagon’s growing
recruitment crisis: the delayed impact of the COVID-19 lockdown. Military analysts cite it for: An increase in obesity as young people became less
indoctrination of incoming troops, and the COVID-19 lockdowns that spurred obe- sity, drug use, and depres- sion — all disqualifiers for military service. In March, Army Chief of
Staff Gen. James McCon- ville stated in his report to Congress: “We are experi- encing the most challenging recruit- ing landscape in a generation. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.” That ambivalence appears to be
reflected in the populace generally. Last November, the Ronald Reagan Institute’s National Defense Survey revealed that just 48% of U.S. adults have “trust and confidence” in the U.S. military. That’s down from 70% as recently
as November 2018. No one can say for sure how much
the Biden administration’s emphasis on identity politics and LGBTQ pre- rogatives within the armed forces and the military academies played a role in this shift. But many military veterans see it as a significant contributor. One high profile example: former
U.S. SEAL Team Six member Robert J. O’Neill, who gained fame after the May 2011 mission to take out Osama bin Laden. O’Neill blasted the Navy’s decision
to hire a nonbinary service member and online influencer to join its “digi- tal ambassadors” program to help pro- mote military recruitment. “The U.S. Navy is now using an
enlisted sailor drag queen as a recruit- er,” O’Neill tweeted. “I’m done. China
active. A significant decline in
test scores, not only in the widely reported standard achievement tests, but also in specialized exams the military uses to assess eligibility and aptitude.
Greater drug use and more
young people whose futures have been marred by criminal records.
A rise in psychological and emotional problems — further evidence that resorting to lockdowns for viral suppression carries profound systemic, long-term impacts.
America’s young people also seem less confident about their ability to thrive in the military. A Pentagon survey showed 57% in the aged 17-to-24 bracket fear it could leave them with lasting emotional or psychological scars. — D.P.
John “J.V.” Venable, a
senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, blames the recruiting crisis on “huge encroachments not just on hiring practices and recruiting practices, but promotion practices as well.” He says promotion and
NAVY OFFICER/DRAG QUEEN Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, shown performing in drag aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in 2017, was tapped by the Navy as a “digital ambassador” last year to bolster recruitment efforts online.
is going to destroy us.” GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas,
another former Navy SEAL, voiced similar concerns. When the Navy released a training
video advising service members to use preferred gender pronouns in emails, he tweeted, “Here’s an idea, fire every- one in the Navy who puts pronouns in their email signature and focus on how to be better at war. “For God’s sake, stop this stupid-
ity,” he added. One idea that’s drawn support from
both sides of Congress: eliminating pot use as a disqualifier. Almost half the states have adopted
some level of marijuana legalization. So, lawmakers ask why a positive test for cannabis use should still be a bar- rier to military service. And they note the military could still ban pot use dur- ing actual service. That issue reflects a larger dilem-
ma: Should the military attract more recruits by lowering its standards?
retention are no longer based purely on merit. “Who has the bulletproof vest on?”
he says. “Who can do no wrong that cannot be fired inside of a service right now? And are those bulletproof vests being given to folks whose primary goal is not to serve the military, but to serve their self-interest, either with regard to race or gender or both?” Venable notes that the Marine
Corps openly represents “the few, the proud.” Yet despite its reputation for tough standards, the Corps has been able to meet its recruitment and reten- tion objectives. “The officers they get at the end
of the day are the cream of the crop because it’s hard, because it’s a chal- lenge,” Venable says. “And they actu- ally get a demand from people who want to join them and want to come on board. “And that’s unlike any of the other
services right now.” The key, he says, is to take race and
gender out of the conversation, while emphasizing the lifelong benefits of a challenging stint in military service. “But,” he hastens to add, “it does
come down to what’s being imposed from the top.”
SEPTEMBER 2023 | NEWSMAX 13
©U.S. NAVY
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