It turns out that propping up and embracing enlisted drag queens isn’t the answer to the U.S. Navy’s recruiting crisis after all.
On Tuesday, Navy Recruiting Command revealed that the branch had failed to meet its recruiting goals for the 2023 fiscal year. According to the Navy Times, the branch brought in “30,236 new active duty sailors in fiscal 2023, falling short of the 37,700 target number accessions for the year.” The Navy also missed its targets for new active-duty officers and reserve officers by 452 and 773 enlistees, respectively.
During her Senate confirmation hearing last month, Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti projected that the Navy would miss its FY23 recruiting targets by 7,000 sailors. According to Franchetti, that estimation is better than one given by the Navy at the beginning of FY23, which predicted a 13,000 shortfall in new recruits.
To combat the ongoing crisis, the Navy increased its maximum enlistment age from 39 to 41 in November “in an effort to allow more civilians to join its ranks.” Nearly a month later, it lowered its entrance test standards. And in June, the branch announced further plans to extend the work week for its recruiters from five days to six to address existing shortfalls but backed away from the policy after facing backlash from sailors.
[READ: The U.S. Navy’s Personnel Crisis Is Only Getting Worse]
Among the probable factors contributing to the Navy’s recruiting dilemma is the waning health of America’s youth. A Pentagon study released last year, for example, found that 77 percent
