The United States, for the first time since the start of collecting data, experiences a situation where the majority of young people have never considered the opportunity to join the country's military, Katie Helland, the director of military accession policy at the Pentagon, said on Wednesday.
"Data indicate that many of today's youth are not interested in military service and have many misconceptions about what life is like as a service member. Additionally, for the first time since this metric has been tracked, the majority of youth have never even considered military service as an option. That is, it's not even on the radar," Helland told in a briefing.
The low number of youth who are qualified for military service further complicates the recruiting challenges. Data show nearly 77% of youth between the ages of 17 and 24 are not qualified for military service without some type of waiver, Helland added.
In the fiscal year 2024, the military recruitment in the US rebounded from low positions during the previous year, the director said. By late September, the country's military welcomed nearly 225,000 new recruits, which is over 25,000 more than in 2023. At the same time, the number of signed contracts increased by 35% over the same period.