The Army has seen a decline in the number of white recruits over the past decade, part of the military branch's historic overall recruiting problems that worry leadership, according to data reviewed by Military.com.
A total of 44,042 new Army recruits were classified as white in 2018. However, that number declined each year to a low of 25,070 in 2023, with a 6% decline from 2022 to 2023, media reported. .
During the same five-year period, the percentage of black enlistees increased from 20% to 24%, and the percentage of Hispanics increased from 17% to 24%.
Army officials explained that the decline in the number of white recruits is not easy to explain.
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An American armed recruitment station in Times Square in New York City. (Ulrich Baumgarten via Getty Images/File)
Data experts and Army officials interviewed by the media said the demographic trend points to a number of issues, including rising obesity rates among military-age Americans, an underfunded public education system, and partisan scrutiny of the military itself.
Last year, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told reporters that criticism of the service being “woke” had added to its recruiting problems.
“We are a ready army, not a woke army,” she said, according to a report in Task & Purpose magazine. “That's something, frankly, President [Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville] And I said it throughout the season of positions in hearings and in meetings with members of Congress.
One Army official pointed to attacks from conservative lawmakers and the media, who accused the service of prioritizing integration efforts rather than its warfighting capabilities. Some policies include being more inclusive of women, service members from racial minority groups, and LGBTQ+ troops.
The American military and our country will not survive if vigilantism continues to rule
Army preparatory course students stand at attention after physical training exercises at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. The Army is struggling to meet recruiting goals. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford/File)
“No, young applicants don't care about that stuff,” one Army official told Military.com. “But the elders in their lives do, and the ones who have a lot of influence…the parents, the coaches, the chaplains.” “There's a level of prestige in parts of conservative America with the service declining. Now, you can say you don't want to join, for whatever reason, or discredit the service without any cultural guilt attached to it for the first time in those areas.”
Various factors, including a strong civilian labor market and low eligibility, the current hiring environment continues to pose a challenge for the Army and the Department of Defense, the Army said.
“In response to these circumstances, the Department of Army Command launched the most significant transformation of the recruiting enterprise since the creation of the all-volunteer force more than fifty years ago,” a statement to Fox News Digital said. “The Army remains committed to competing for and securing America's best talent. Our marketing and outreach efforts are focused on telling the Army's story to the widest possible audience to ensure that Americans across the country understand what a career in the United States Army can mean.” The Army will continue to put “Same as the employer of choice for young Americans, just as we have for nearly half a century.”
One Army official told Military.com that recruiting efforts mimic trends in the private sector.
“What we see is a reflection of society, and what we know less is what drives all of these things,” one Army official told Military.com. “There is no widely accepted reason.”
Army Soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, participate in a two-mile installation. (Ministry of Defense/Archive)
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In an effort to increase troop numbers, the Army recently returned to its nostalgic slogan, “Be all you can be.”
One ad that was heavily criticized was a 2022 ad titled: “The Calling,” featuring a real soldier with two mothers.
The Army is now seeking structural changes in how it recruits soldiers, including new career areas aimed at recruiting the right recruits to help fill the ranks.
