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While the original 1986 “Top Gun” was a boon to U.S. Navy and Air Force recruiters, the wildly successful 2022 sequel has so far done very little on this front. Multiple U.S. military officials are sounding the alarm due to what they see as the worst recruiting environment since the end of the Vietnam War. Young Americans are no longer eager to join the all-volunteer force, pressing leadership at the Department of Defense to find new ways to recruit. Straight Arrow News contributor Star Parker argues “woke” ideology at the top is a big part of the problem:
In the midst of all the chaos we are hearing with Russia invading Ukraine, with threats from China, this is an important time to re-examine the readiness of our military. Unfortunately, the infecting culture that continues to quickly perverse the airwaves of our nation, also made its way to our military. The “woke” military ideology, that so many current and veteran service members have been raising the alarm on, is damaging to our national security.
According to military leaders, recruitment for our armed forces is down. Way down. So far down that it is comparable to low recruitment numbers following the Vietnam War. U.S. House Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, one of the Republican leaders in military personnel policy in Congress, has said that “we are on the cusp of a military recruiting crisis. When Republicans take control of Congress in a few months, averting the recruiting crisis will be a top priority.”
But until November, where do we stand now? Recent Gallup polls show that 42% of Americans feel that our national defense needs to be stronger. If that number seems low, well at least it’s higher than another poll Gallup did — this time on how many Americans are extremely proud of our country. Only 38% are.
No wonder recruitment numbers are so low. We continue to see this relentless drive to enforce conformity within the military with a preferred leftist narrative. And while the news headlines are dominated with the serious threats from the imposing anti-democratic nations of Russia and China, the Biden Administration continues to claim that climate change is our biggest threat.
Meanwhile, there are good soldiers — men and women — who have dedicated their lives to our protection and the defense of liberty, who are being forced out for not wanting to take a vaccine.
Looking at these circumstances, is it any wonder why military recruitment numbers are down? As Americans watch events unfold all over the world, we must refocus on what is going on in our own country.
