The U.S. Army is experiencing a sharp decline in the number of white recruits it’s bringing into the service, a new report found.
According to data analyzed by Military.com, “A total of 44,042 new Army recruits were categorized by the service as white in 2018, but that number has fallen consistently each year to a low of 25,070 in 2023, with a 6% dip from 2022 to 2023 being the most significant drop.” The report further noted how “[n]o other demographic group” has experienced such a downward trend in recent years, and that the “rate at which white recruitment has fallen far outpaces nationwide demographic shifts.”
Much like the Navy and Air Force, the Army missed its recruiting targets for the 2023 fiscal year, with the branch coming up 10,000 recruits short of its goal of 65,000. When discussing the matter with reporters in October, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth claimed the Army understood its 2023 target was a “stretch goal” and described the branch’s plans to launch a “new ‘talent acquisition’ enlisted occupational specialty dedicated to recruiting” to help stymie the problem.
The branch also came up 15,000, or 25 percent, short of its 2022 fiscal year goals, according to the Army Times.
In detailing potential variables contributing to the Army’s decline in white recruits, such as a fluctuating labor market and higher obesity rates among American youth, Military.com cited remarks from an unnamed Army official who used the media’s infamous “Republicans pounce!” framing to blame the problem on conservatives.
