- What up, world?

Journalist and peaceful plant lover, Miles Bess, here.

Today, I'm here to talk about one of the biggest challenges that the US military has ever faced.

No, it's not Putin or Kim Jong-un or nukes, it's American teens.

Dun, dun, dun.

America's youth have a all time low interest in military service.

- [Clip Narrator] This has been one of the worst years for US military recruiting since Vietnam.

- The US Army faces a recruiting shortfall.

- So every service really struggled this year, in this fiscal year, to meet their recruiting goals.

- And that's got the Pentagon and our politicians freaking out.

In 2022, enlistment in the Army, the largest branch of the military, was down by 15,000 soldiers or 25% of their target.

And only 9% of 18 year olds report even any interest in signing up.

So today we're asking, why is Gen Z rejecting the military?

When it comes to military recruiting, the US has a pretty complicated history.

Our country had mandatory conscription, AKA the draft, for multiple wars.

We're talking from the Civil War to World War I to the Cold War, but the Vietnam War really changed things when young people took to the streets and said, enough is enough.

Thousands of people protested the draft and US militarization.

The government, for the most part, did away with mandatory military service by 1973 and made enlistment voluntary.

Goodbye draft, hello marketing.

The US had to do what everyone else has to do in free market capitalism, convince people to buy what they're selling.

Check out these ads from the 1980s.

♪ See, I'm out here for my home town ♪ - [Clip Narrator] It doesn't matter whether you're a man or a woman, only that you're here.

- Roger.

♪ 'Cause we need you in the Army ♪ - And Hollywood is probably the military's number one unofficial marketing tool.

The movies have romanticized military service going way back.

Today, the Army alone has an advertising and recruiting budget of $791 million.

For comparison, that's more than double the budget for teacher recruitment.

The US military is desperate to recruit more young people.

Putting out campaigns like this one, The Calling from 2021.

- [Clip Narrator] I was now determined to defend this nation that I called home.

- Despite these super slick ads, Gen Z ain't feeling that military lifestyle.

In fact, people hated these ads so much they had to close down the comment section on YouTube.

There's more than 11,000 military recruiters working at nearly 1500 recruiting stations, many of them high schools and college campuses.

And now they're finding you even closer to home on Twitch, eSports, TikTok, you name it.

The military is even requesting more access to internet user data to do more targeted recruiting tactics.

- We wanna be able to kind of package our messaging so that it can resonate with greatest effect to a generation where we count seconds in terms of being able to capture their attention.

And so, we want to work with the committee to potentially expand our current authorities to do that.

- So why exactly is the military struggling so much to recruit young folks?

One, there are more opportunities outside the military these days.

I mean, why would I risk my life in the military when I could give sweet benefits or a scholarship from working at like a Chipotle or In-N-Out, you know what I mean?

Number two, it's hella hard to qualify to sign up.

The military can turn you down for stuff like obesity, mental health issues, a criminal record, even having tattoos in the wrong place.

Only 23% of Gen Z are even eligible for military service.

And three, and maybe the biggest reason, Gen Z doesn't trust public institutions, including the military.

Over 80% think the US is on the wrong track.

That's why we never run outta things to talk about on this show, folks.

I mean, of course Gen Z has trust issues.

Their generation has access to so much information.

They know the risk of military service.

Outside of death, there's PTSD, homeless veterans, sexual assault, homophobia, and let's not forget, racism and classism.

Even though military data shows the biggest proportion of their new enlists are middle class white youth from southern states, the military has long targeted young black and Latinx folks and working class communities to fill their entry level positions.

- People of color when they join the military are actually a lot of the times disproportionately represented in the front lines, in positions that are more dangerous.

- This is David Morales, an educator in doctoral candidate at Stanford and former high school activist who started a campaign to kick out military recruiters from his high school in San Diego.

He is now an activist with Project YANO, a nonprofit that provides young people with an alternative point of view about military enlistment.

- I remember finding out that the principal was getting rid of her AP program, all AP classes, and instead was bringing in JROTC, this military science course.

- David helped convince the school district to shut down an air rifle shooting range that the JROTC had started at its school.

The JROTC, for people who've never heard of it, is a military themed high school program funded by the Department of Defense.

It started back in 1916 and has expanded steadily ever since.

The program exists more than 1700 public and private high schools, military institutions, and correctional centers.

JROTC itself is not a military recruitment tool.

It's funded in part through the military and its focus is on leadership and civic engagement.

But if you check out all the JROTC drill videos on YouTube and TikTok... - Scream I serve.

- [Students] I serve.

- Perception says otherwise.

- I think the military very much intentionally promotes the JROTC program as a solution to what society imagines as unruly, you know, students of color.

When we looked at other schools in more affluent areas that were predominantly white in the same district, they had no traces of JROTC or even military recruiters.

- This recent New York Times report says that thousands of students are being enrolled in the JROTC even though it's supposed to be strictly voluntary.

And those schools are usually in working class black and brown communities.

The report caused a big stir and now Congress is investigating the program.

To be fair, both JROTC and military recruiters offer high school students really good incentives to sign up.

Stuff that I could have really used back when I was in high school.

College scholarships, I would've loved one of those, debt forgiveness, housing, and healthcare.

I mean that's part of what attracted Julian Valderrama, a JROTC alum and veteran of the Marine Corps who comes from a military family.

He now creates his own personal TikTok content about JROTC and military life.

- So the military does offer great benefits.

The GI bill's obviously the biggest one, it's the biggest selling point for recruiters.

You get your college paid for and you get paid the average cost of living wherever your college is.

I loved what the military did for me.

It made me who I am.

It gave me the experiences.

I have friends and brothers and sisters that last a lifetime.

- So the benefits are huge when you don't have many opportunities given to you.

But what's the cost of enlisting?

- Some people have, you know, have success stories, but there are also many other people who have a very difficult time claiming the benefits that the military promises - And real talk, is it even ethical to recruit minors into the armed forces?

We know it's legal.

In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act gave military recruiters access to collect student data from high schools, same as any college recruiter or perspective employer.

Critics of this military recruitment in high schools though say that doing so goes against international standards.

Specifically the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child, which prohibits recruiting young people into military service.

Only Somalia in the United States didn't sign it.

The UN says recruiting is putting young people, especially poor people of color, at increased risk for mental health issues like depression and PTSD, substance abuse and sexual assault and, let's face it, possible death.

So given all of this, what needs to change in the military to make it more appealing to Gen Z?

- The problem is all the old white dudes at top.

Honestly.

'Cause they have no idea what it's like anymore.

They joined when it was 1984 and the world was different.

They have no idea what it's like.

- And that makes sense considering Gen Z is the most diverse generation ever, but waiting for leadership to change sounds like a long game.

A lot of folks are speculating what the consequences will be if they don't reach their recruit targets now.

- I don't think the military's ever gonna reach back what it needs, honestly.

I just don't.

And I think the consequence of that is genuinely us losing wars.

It is national security going down.

- Julian brings up an important point about national security.

Remember when I said that the draft is over for the most part?

Well, the government does have its list in case of an emergency.

Men who turn 18 have 30 days to to check a box for selective service, which basically means you're on standby for a few years in case it gets too real out there.

I mean, I remember doing that when I was 18 and I was enrolling in college, like you had to do all the paperwork and stuff and they just kind of like snuck it in there.

I was like, oh yeah, how much money do you make?

What classes do you wanna take?

You're gonna enlist basically for a little bit.

It threw me off.

I didn't have to do anything, luckily, but it did kind of scare me.

But what if we don't need to rely on our military for power?

I mean, the US already spends almost $800 billion a year on our national defense.

In fact, we spend more on our military than China, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea combined.

Whoo!

What if that money and brain power was invested into something else?

- What is the objective of the military?

What should it be?

What has it been historically?

The alternatives that we propose are career options that contribute and that work towards a better world, better community, that prioritize life over death, creation over destruction.

- It'll be interesting to see what happens this year with military recruitment.

The military press is reporting that they are on target to meet their goals, but it's still early, so only time we'll tell.

How do you feel about the military recruiting high school students?

Let us know in the comments below.

Oh, and if you liked this video, check out this other one we did on whether or not cops should be in schools.

And as always, hit that subscribe button.

You know, we got you.

'Til next time, peace out.

(bright music)