3 reasons why Gen Z is rejecting military service

The U.S. military is still facing a historic recruitment crisis in 2023, failing to meet goals for enlisting new soldiers by a wide margin. Why are so many young people saying no to military service?

[griffithd]

As an 80s baby and former Marine, I'm with Gen Z. The only thing worth it was the social programs like GIBill and free medical and I just want people to have that without joining. There are DOZENS of us socialist/lefty veterans, I swear. Also, being stereotyped as conservative because I was in the military is hilarious and gross. I did it all for the free stuff boomer! :)

[mgauci]

As a 20 year veteran, I can tell the young folks to ask this: When the recruiter starts talking to you, ask about how theyd be treated after they serve.

[TheAcidBunny]

And I quote, as a veteran with mental health issues prior to service: "There's a waiver for everything." - MMA1 Mansavage

[avryotter]

This is not a country worth dying for.

[haveaday]

A 4th reason is ME.
I’ve been screaming at these kids for 20 years to stay the F out.

[mvend]

Some gen z kids don’t even know what their own gender is. They wouldn’t consider military service because their gender is always on their mind.

[billybarnett]

Nobody has ever fully trusted the military. As a 70s baby and former Army, they would always do something sketchy.

[ummerfarooq]

Gen z going to be hunted down by army bots, and cleaned

[cerbera_]

Im not dying for a country that doesnt even have free healthcare

[napoleon]

Of course obese people are automatically disqualified
The tatoo rule on specific places doesn’t surprise me either
Face tatoos can get you rejected from Job interviews as well.

[straightdiezel]

And the pay is too low for someone that signing their life away

[MorganBoykin]

I tried to join yjey said my kneck was too small and i had flat feet lol i said forget it after that

[jim]

i served in the 1970s. If you think about the kind of folks you want servicing and SR71, maybe that explains why the military can be picky about who gets in. As for the all time low level of trust in American institutions, I suggest they get out of facebook and tick tock and read some actual news papers. Then start voting.

[williamstaraable]

I tried to sign up for turned away 4x. Like bye

[thomasr.jackson]

Good summary. Re: #2, this is largely a perceptual issue. While the risks exist and the military is one employer who actually explicitly asks people to risk their lives, US military service is rather safety conscious, even during combat. During the height of the combat in the Iraq and Afghan wars, the rate of violent death for male US troops 18-25 was actually lower than with US civilians of the same demographic.

This is largely do to doctrines developed after Vietnam with the advent of an all volunteer military. Now the US military invests heavily in its troops and does not treat them as expendable, but rather long term investments. One result is that for the fist time in almost two centuries of records, during the Iraq war saw a a decrease in deaths due to battle injuries (about a 75% reduction), which were themselves greatly reduced.
The military remains an excellent way to both serve and benefit one’s self, objectively speaking. This doesn’t invalidate the observations in the video.

[mattsaab]

Not really a good thing but conscription would be a good way to start getting better numbers.😂

[macadamia]

As a Gen Z in the ranks. I can tell you that Gen Z "weakness" thats driving them away.

Its the whining boomers and Sad Millenials that need someone to harass their power on.

[poduck]

You forget that the military has often been looked at as a masculine thing to join. That is no longer the case, due to several changes in policy, and marketing.

[christopherheselton]

This isn't anything new. The military had the same struggle 20 years ago with millennials.

[sugardolly]

Watching this video as I'm signing👀