Less than a quarter of 17-24-year-olds meet all eligibility requirements without a waiver, according to the US Army’s top civilian official.

A key component is refuting negative perceptions about the army, particularly when it comes to Gen Z (1997-2012) Americans, army secretary Christine Wormuth told an audience at the Center for a New American Security.

Wormuth said the service branch aimed to recruit 60,000 new members last year. It got 45,000. “That’s a pretty big shortfall,” she remarked.

Her comments to the Washington, DC think tank were reported by the overseas-serving US daily newspaper for its forces, The Stars and Stripes.

Earlier this year, Army leaders said they were aiming for a total force of 473,000, including new recruits and existing troops by 1 October 2022, the end of the military’s financial year. The service later cut that target by 12,000 and then another 6,000 by the summer, The Stars and Stripes said.

“They want community. They want purpose. They want what they’re doing to matter,” said Wormuth.

She identified some of the most serious recruiting problems as the change in lifestyle that comes with joining the army and the negative perceptions in the public psyche, particularly among parents, the newspaper reported.

Parents worry that if their “kid joins the army, they’re going to suffer psychological harm or they’re going to be sexually harassed. So we have to put our money where our mouth is – actions speak louder than words. We have got to show results in this area and not just talk about it.

“Life in the army is not easy,” Wormuth added. “So, we have got to take care of our soldiers. We have to make sure they have safe workplaces where there is good morale.”

The newspaper said Wormuth told the audience that the army is taking a “multi-dimensional” approach to developing solutions, including a suicide prevention regulation and a “whole suite of training” for it. 

Also, there will be a new emphasis on mental wellness checks and a new pilot programme to streamline resources for sexual assault victims.

The army is also building a “prevention workforce” to analyse data and analytics with the aim of identifying where the gaps are and where more resources are needed. The Stars and Stripes said the service hired “dozens of experts” for the prevention workforce this year and expects to hire 200 more in 2023.

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