Fifty years ago, the United States Department of Defense ended the draft and chose to rely exclusively on volunteers to fill the ranks. The all-volunteer force was born and the competition was on to attract the best and brightest to military service. This year, the Army, Navy and Air Force, including National Guard components, all expect to fall well short of their recruiting goals. Tony Perez feels that one of the major shortcomings of the recruiting game is communication. He’s in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain why a significant portion of the problem is old people failing to communicate with young people. Old people may be a bit of an overstatement, but Tony sees an issue with the inability of military recruiters to explain why the military provides so many of the things that the next generation desires in a job or even a career.
If somebody’s offering me that much money. How bad is it really in the service? You communicate things and you signal ideas with the type of incentives that you offer.
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Antonio Perez is a field artillery officer and a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. He is a graduate of the AY23 Resident Course at the U.S. Army War College and the Director, U.S. Army Fire Support Test Directorate.
Ron Granieri is Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense.
Photo Description: Dozens of new Army recruits and prospects from all over New York, Pennsylvania and New England, visited Fort Drum on Aug. 31 to meet with 10th Mountain Division (LI) personnel, tour facilities and learn more about the Army.
Photo Credit: Pfc. Samuel Bonney, 27th Public Affairs Detachment