In recent years, there has been a significant decline in American men’s interest in joining the military. This shift has led to persistent shortfalls in US Army recruiting and increased the nation’s reliance on female troops. According to Military.com, male enlistment has dropped by 35% over the past decade, from around 58,000 in 2013 to 37,700 last year. In contrast, female enlistment has remained steady at approximately 10,000 recruits annually.
This decrease in male recruitment has left the US Army unable to meet its targets for new troops. The largest military branch fell short of its goals by about 10,000 enlistments last year and 15,000 in 2022. Other branches have experienced similar challenges in meeting their recruiting quotas. In response, the Army reduced its enlistment target by 10,000 this year, aiming for 55,000 new recruits.
Some conservative politicians, such as US Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), have blamed the military’s recruiting crisis on what they perceive as an emphasis on “woke ideology” in the recruitment process. This includes placing importance on factors like race, gender, and sexual orientation rather than focusing solely on combat readiness. The latest Reagan National Defense Survey, released in November, revealed that only 46% of Americans have a high level of trust in their nation’s military, down from 70% in 2018. About half of the respondents cited “woke” practices as a reason for their declining confidence in the military.
However, Military.com reports that beyond cultural issues, experts point to broader problems with American men, including a “national crisis of masculinity.” Rates of suicide and drug overdoses have risen among men, while they are also becoming less likely to attend college or build a career. In fact, US men are increasingly disappearing from the general workforce.
Psychology Professor Ronald Levant from Ohio suggests that this trend “goes way beyond military recruitment” and is related to broader social changes. He believes that there is an “amotivational syndrome” permeating many young men today, making them less motivated to engage in various activities. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 64.9% of US men were employed as of last month, down from a peak of over 84% in the 1950s. Over the same period, female participation in the labor force has nearly doubled, reaching 55.4.
The military’s demographic data shows that it has become less male and less white in recent years. The active-duty force was 84.4% male in 2023, down from 86.4% a decade earlier. Additionally, whites accounted for 53.5% of the troops last year, compared to 61.7% in 2011. As American men continue to withdraw from society and display diminished interest in military service, this trend is expected to persist, potentially leading to even greater challenges in maintaining a strong and diverse US Army.