Politicization is an alt cause.

Recruiting has also suffered from declining trust in the military. A Gallup poll and a 2022 National Defense Survey find a drop in public confidence in the military in recent years. The later survey finds less than half (48 percent) of Americans have a “great deal” of confidence in the US military, a sharp drop from 70 percent in 2018. The survey also found the public lost confidence in the military because of “Military leadership becoming overly politicized” (34 percent); “So-called ‘woke’ practices undermining military effectiveness” (30 percent); and “So-called far-right or extremist individuals serving in the military” (23 percent).

There’s no doubt that politicization is undermining recruiting. Some Democrats have condemned the military for alleged racism, extremism (which they link to Republicans), and resistance to new diversity initiatives. Some Republicans say reports of such problems are exaggerated, that the new diversity initiatives aren’t based on proven effectiveness, and that “wokeness” detracts from military readiness. What’s clear is that special interest groups have used political pressure to promote their own agendas, often under the guise of “improving military readiness.” The tactic is to accuse the military of wrongdoing, implying guilt exists, and then demand a change.