U.S. defense officials face the bleakest recruiting environment since the aftermath of the Vietnam War, with less than a quarter of Americans ages 17 to 24 years old eligible to serve — and just 9 percent willing to do so.
The issue came before the Senate Armed Services Committee as The situation probably will take years to correct, they told the senators, forecasting that the Army, Air Force and Navy all will fall short of their goals this year, possibly by thousands of recruits.
A few years ago, the Army set out to grow to more than 500,000 active-duty soldiers, but it has since revised those numbers downward several times. By next year, it could have fewer than 450,000, officials have said.The problem is less serious in the Navy and Air Force but still trending in the wrong direction. Senior Air Force officials said this month that they expect to miss their recruiting goal of about 30,000 by roughly 10 percent.
“I and almost everyone else on this committee could tell you a story about what we had to do to help some outstanding young man or woman overcome some supposedly disqualifying injury or condition,” Cotton said. Sen. Roger Wicker , the committee’s top Republican, said the Pentagon spent “a lot of hours” researching extremism when the administration first took office, declining to note that dozens of veterans were among those arrested for actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. The Pentagon documented 100 cases of extremism across the entire force, Wicker said, concluding that a problem there “doesn’t exist.”Sen.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
‘Crazy’ UFO-believing Pentagon bosses missed spy craft for yearsThe Pentagon program, meant to look into foreign adversaries’ aerospace technology, spent years misleading a credulous media and an oblivious Congress in its hunt for UFOs and monsters.
Weiterlesen »
Senator grills Pentagon on six-figure DEI jobs advertised across military branchesSen. Eric Schmitt told Fox News Digital, 'The military must be focused on confronting threats abroad with overwhelming superiority, and not waging culture wars at home.'
Weiterlesen »
U.S. speeds up deliveries of Abrams tanks, Patriot systems to UkraineThe U.S. is speeding up the training and delivery of Abrams tanks and Patriot missile defense systems for Ukraine as preparations ramp up for expected heavy fighting this year.
Weiterlesen »
Pentagon aiming to deliver 31 US Abrams tanks to Ukraine as soon as this fallAn expected delivery of 31 U.S. Abrams tanks to Ukraine can now happen as soon as this fall following a decision to send an older model instead, U.S. defense officials say.
Weiterlesen »
U.S. will speed transfer of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, Pentagon saysThe Pentagon, in a significant shift, said that it will send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine by the fall, after facing scrutiny for initially saying it could take a year or two to procure the powerful weapons and get them to the battlefield.
Weiterlesen »
The Pentagon prepares for its next battle: GOP accusations of 'wokeness'Pentagon leaders are prepping responses to accusations of 'wokeness' in the military, which they're expecting when they face lawmakers this week to defend their budget proposal
Weiterlesen »