Army Recruiting Challenges in the 21st Century

As the United States moves into the 21st Century, we must be cognizant of our ability to influence todays youth into volunteering to serve in our military. Significant events have occurred, and their impact will continue that will influence the direction our nation will follow in the future. The American military will face significant challenges in the years to come, as it strives to maintain its worldwide military supremacy. This paper will look beyond the superficial crust of basic training cultures and combat operations as leading causes of reduced military interest and focus on recruiting techniques, the current societies mannerisms that influence the militarys target audience, and the target audience for the military. The research highlights some significant disconnects related to how the military looks at potential applicants for service to our nation. It also reveals that military families can be viewed as the center of gravity for the military and exert tremendous influence on military members decision to remain in the service Research recommendati.ons address the above issues, but also assess the potential for reducing the military recruiting bureaucracy by combining limited resources through a concept of Joint Armed Forces Recruiting.