"Phone lists of numbers that once rang a family landline now dead-end at parents' cellphones. School access can vary from one street to the next. And while a direct message might be the fastest way to reach an overly online 17-year-old, finding the right social media handle can feel like chasing ghosts. The hunt has become so grueling that the time it takes to meet quotas of up to two recruits a month is pushing some recruiters into burnout territory."
"The Pentagon is facing steep declines in young Americans' propensity and fitness to serve and public confidence in the military, long one of the government's most-trusted institutions, according to public polling. Boosting young Americans' interest in service, and reaching them in the first place, will require more than traditional military recruiting efforts, those involved agree. Political momentum for broader measures is already building."
Recruiters face growing difficulty engaging young people as traditional contact methods fail and social media handles become hard to locate. School access for recruiters varies dramatically by neighborhood, and institutional barriers limit outreach. Meeting monthly quotas of up to two recruits is taking longer and driving recruiter burnout. The Pentagon confronts declines in young Americans' propensity and fitness to serve alongside falling public confidence in the military. Proposed responses include expanded school access, more Junior ROTC, federally mandated administration of the military entrance exam, legislative changes, and exploration of artificial-intelligence tools to improve outreach.
Read at Business Insider
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