Recruitment Crisis now

(Rose, https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2023-06-15/army-soldiers-recruiting-women-10451347.html)

Fewer women are choosing to join the Army as the largest military branch struggles through another difficult recruiting year, according to data from the service. Army recruitment overall has dropped more than 29% since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020, with female enlistments down by 31% during the same time, according to data that the Army provided to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services at its most recent meeting. “Female prospects view the Army as an inferior employer — neither aligned with their aspirations nor providing desired outcomes,” according to the Army’s slide presentation to the committee, which has provided the Pentagon with recommendations for more than 70 years on how to address the challenges women face when serving in the military. Only about 8% of women ages 16 to 24 have a propensity to serve in the military, according to a Defense Department document provided to the advisory committee, which will hold its next meeting June 27. Though the crisis of sexual assault and harassment in the military attracts a lot of attention, Lory Manning, a retired Navy captain and board co-chairperson of the nonprofit Service Women’s Action Network, said it’s not the only factor that affects a woman’s decision to join the service. “The Army has the biggest need for both men and women. It's [by] far the biggest service, so their recruiting job is harder, particularly in times when there's good employment opportunities in the civilian community,” she said. Manning also said the Army could be falling behind in recruiting women because women might be choosing other service branches. “In some ways, at least in some people's minds, it's kind of glamorous to be in the Marines or the Navy, or the Air Force or Space Force. The Army is something that I don’t think is ever viewed as glamorous,” she said. The Army is struggling overall to attract enough recruits. Last year, the service fell about 15,000 recruits short of its goal of 60,000. This year, the service set a goal of 65,000 recruits and projects it will fall short again.