Military Recruiting Strategies

The U.S. military has long been faced with the task of recognizing and resolving a seemingly endless array of constraints while upholding its fundamental purpose to protect our nation from enemies, both foreign and domestic. Presently, the U.S. government and citizenry are actively seeking ways to decrease military spending, further tightening these constraints. As a result, the U.S. military is challenged to maintain and strengthen its basic foundation using practical and innovative methods that accomplish these goals in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Perhaps the most crucial element in sustaining and advancing the U.S. military is effective attraction and retention of qualified individuals for current and future leadership vacancies. Without an organizational plan and common direction to not only recruit, but learn from and retain qualified individuals, the U.S. military services run the risk of becoming less agile and progressive. …show more content…
military’s recruiting tactics have placed great emphasis on tapping into a potential recruit’s nationalism and the U.S. government’s drive to increase the size of the U.S. military in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Major combat operations in Iraq have ended, and a significant push is being made to end major combat operations in Afghanistan. Concurrently, the sizes of the individual service branches are being scrutinized, and ever-impending sequestration is casting a long shadow of doubt over the prospects for future military funding. Although Millennials generally hold their country in high regard, military recruitment can no longer depend solely on an individual’s sense of nationalism when considering a career in the armed services. Now is the time to reassess the recruiting and retention goals of the U.S. military, tailoring recruitment tactics to address the unique career goals of Millennials while carefully evaluating each candidate’s potential strengths and