(BrightPress.org) – Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is warning that the military’s recruitment crisis is emboldening U.S. antagonists overseas, including Iran, China, and Russia. He called the combination of bold enemies and an understaffed military a catastrophic combination in a column for the Washington Examiner.
Rubio said that the military missed recruitment goals in 2023 by 41,000 people. The impact is beginning to show across all the branches. Navy ships are going unmanned and Army configurations are reshuffled to account for the lower number of troops available.
Rubio suggests that the problem is that American confidence in military careers has dropped significantly. He cited Adm. Mike Mullen who suggested average Americans and military family members are more hesitant to join up now more than ever.
Rubio explained the reason for the drop by sharing three uncomfortable truths we must face as a nation. The first was that American military morale was heavily damaged by mission creep in the Middle East after 9-11. He highlighted how over 250,000 people joined in the months following 9-11. He said that our operations disrupted terrorist organizations and saved lives, but as the mission expanded it became less effective.
Rubio said the second major reason for a drop in military appeal is that the quality of life provided to our soldiers is “unsuitable” and incommensurate with their personal sacrifices. There have been numerous viral complaints about the status of infrastructure, including housing and other facilities where soldiers complained of mold infestation, holes in the walls/ceiling, inadequate medical care, and other problems.
The third reason was politics and radical Marxist ideology being promoted by military leaders and forced participation by regulars. He suggested that the idea that the US is an evil nation has led many young people to resist joining the military.
Rubio highlighted how Congress freezing the Pentagon’s ability to hire diversity, equity, and inclusion program peddlers was a good first step toward mitigating the damage. He ended by suggesting that Americans must believe that the military is there to defend the nation and not pawns in some international scheme to make money for defense contractors.
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