How the U.S. Coast Guard defies the military recruitment slump

Amid a slump in recruiting for the U.S. Armed Forces, the U.S. Coast Guard for the first time since 2007 has met its recruitment goals for its active-duty workforce, the reserves and officers. CBS News homeland security and justice reporter Nicole Sganga spoke with Capt. Ben Keffer, commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Recruiting Command, about the branch's recruitment processes.

[carlhicksjr]

Because the CG **always** has a legit real-world mission to do. You don't end up wasting two or three years of your life stationed at division sized replacement depot where 'excellence' is defined as how shiny the barracks hallway is and no DUIs that month. Even the guys who service and repair harbor bouys are actually doing something useful.
I'm an Army veteran and I live in the Pacific Northwest. There are towns up here where every single person is related to somebody the CG has pulled from the drink, so we have a lot of respect for Coasties. Those dudes go out on rescues in weather that'd make Santa Claus stay home.

[caseclosed]

People laugh and joke but the Coast Guard is a more serious branch then you think it is…

[aaronbrandon]

The day the coast guard states "we don't test for cannabis" they gonna have to put people on waiting lists to join.

[currier]

Maybe because a quality of life is so much better in the Coast Guard? Maybe because you can see the immediate results of the hard work you put in a day in and day out instead of just 20 years of a stalemate?

[ChronicAndIronic]

Coast Guard is honorable and a net positive. no one’s going to spit on you for being a coastie.

[danjohnston]

Recruiting Offices in places where people have never seen the Ocean 😏

[Shining]

Coast-Guard is better than fighting a rich man's war somewhere overseas like Iraq & Afghanistan

[Lonpone]

That $65, 000 bonus swayed a lot of people to join up.

[CatWith-AHat]

Because the last generation grew up watching the veterans be throwm away and we havent had a real enemy in a decade.

[glutengoblin]

Coast Guard is the most operational service

[coleroyat]

The other service members in the other branches told everyone else "Don't join my branch. Join the Coast Guard."

[thebookkeeper]

I think it has little to do with those policies. I think if one wants to have a military experience without compromise and without joining the army, then Coast guard might be the place.

[researcher]

As an army Veteran, we my joke about each others branches but the Coast Guard is pretty awesome.

[HerpDerpNV]

The USCG has some of the most beautiful duty stations.

[crassustheelder]

I know a decent amount of Coasties and all of them are chill boat hobos that like to fish on the back of their boats.
Love them

[DebraBrown-dcvg]

If I am Drowning in a Flood?! Does the Coast Guard think for half a second that I care the Hand That Saves Me Has a Tattoo?!?😘
My Father spent 35years in the U.S. Air Force 28 of those years was spent in Research & Development. Many years spent in Foreign Lands Testing Vital Research on all fields. Especially Search & Rescue. There was several others in different Military Branches. Can say without Hesitation that every member of the Team ALWAYS REGUARDED THE COAST GUARDS IN THE HIGHEST REGUARDS!🥰👍👌💯

[SizzleCorndog]

Probably bc the coast guard is the most reasonable branch

[Goldphoenixof]

everyone at graduation of boot camp is e-3 once completion of a school automatically promoted to e4 depending on which rate you go e5 has been made supplemental

[JanetRight]

5 nights ago our local news reported that 2 CG stations on Lake Michigan are closed due to lack of manpower. They showed the stations. The CG is maintaining them in hopes of reopening them but with low manpower they doubt they will open again. So how can they make this statement?

[Platoon_Guide]

That’s good news because well over half of us are too fat to serve. It was a struggle but I was in the military for 23 years. No regrets. A secure nation is a free nation! 🇺🇸