6 ms·

Seems like they're having trouble recruiting people to serve as America launches headlong into GWOT 2.0 with no plan. It makes sense that people aren't signing

Seems like they're having trouble recruiting people to serve as America launches headlong into GWOT 2.0 with no plan. It makes sense that people aren't signing up: it's a very unpopular war that was started by assassinating leaders during peace talks and bombing an elementary school, and it's not one they're winning. And it's also a war with no clear benefit to Americans, which Marco Rubio admitted they were dragged into by Israel.

c8ares 6mo ago
They've had the best recruiting performance in 10+ years.
- deleted 6mo ago
  [deleted]
- pragmatic 6mo ago
  And the worst job market maybe ever for that age group?
franczesko 6mo ago
+ a war for another country
thoi234293847 6mo ago
[flagged]
- UltraSane 6mo ago
  2003? Really?
UltraSane 6mo ago
I think smart people do NOT want to enlist while Trump is Commander in Chief and Hegseth is in charge of the Military. The way the crew of the USS Ford have been treated is despicable.
- Bender 6mo ago
  I get why you are saying that but historically those that enlisted ended up with better roles and less likely to serve in the infantry unless of course one wish to do that. This of course assumes the draft is actually utilized.
  - UltraSane 6mo ago
    The draft is not going to happen, especially under Trump.
deepsun 6mo ago
> during peace talks Well, I'm old enough to remember many "peace talks" go to eternity wit absolutely zero results. In many countries around the world. Just to create the argument.
- tunesmith 6mo ago
  What's your therefore??
- colordrops 6mo ago
  Are you suggesting that it's a valid tactic to using peace talks to get your opponent to let their guard is down so you can attack them?
deleted 6mo ago
[deleted]
dinkumthinkum 6mo ago
[flagged]
- llmthrow0827 6mo ago
  Those numbers are before starting GWOT 2.0. Was abandoning all regional bases and most advanced radar in the area as soon as the war started part of the plan? Sending the USS Gerald Ford in even though it was already on extended deployment? Not having any minesweepers anywhere near the area? How about loading F35s with barbell weights to balance the aircraft, because they don't have radar systems? Pulling THAAD systems from South Korea within a week of starting the war? That, and many more examples, point to an ill-thought-out decapitation strike, on someone else's timeline, with no contingency plan in the case that didn't severely cripple the Iranian government and state.
- toast0 6mo ago
  > How would one explain that all of this is quite literally not true and military recruitment is significantly higher under this administration? Bad economy -> high army recruitment. (Also bad economy -> lower immigration, legal and not)
  - dinkumthinkum 6mo ago
    We had a worse economy under Biden. I guess, try again?
  - bostik 6mo ago
    While reductionist, I think yours is a legitimate "in a nutshell" take. It would be interesting to see the relevant statistics over time, ideally broken down by geographical regions, their median incomes and the respective employment / military recruitment success rates. I admit that I am partial to your view of the world. A mate in university, about a quarter of a century ago, made a rather striking observation: "In the US, military is a national jobs program for a nation that is psychologically hostile to jobs programs."
- pragmatic 6mo ago
  But that decade includes the first Trump administration also. I don’t think that supports your argument. What is probably happening is the job crisis for young people. The army is once again an attractive job.
polotics 6mo ago
Yes, and still note, about using the word "winning". Jeannette Rankin: "You can no more win a war, than you can win an earthquake"
- benterix 6mo ago
  > You can no more win a war, than you can win an earthquake This is quite clear for younger people who grew in an interconnected world. But some old folks (73 y.o., 79 y.o.) seem to live in the old world where winning, or an illusion of it, is still a thing.
  - polotics 6mo ago
    this quote is from 1919 not 2019 by the way AFAIK, so there is nothing new under the sun
  - crm9125 6mo ago
    That word "Interconnected" is very important. As it's not an age thing, since many young folks may still think this way. It's an education thing. Uneducated/unconnected people are unable to appropriately interpret the world and the events that happen within it as they have not learned about or experienced similar situations and their outcomes/consequences.
tempodox 6mo ago
If the war keeps Trump in office, it has fulfilled its purpose and will be counted a win. This is why I suspect that Israel might at least have encouragement from the U.S., direct or indirect.
- tastyface 6mo ago
  Why would the war keep Trump in office? It is widely unpopular.
  - tempodox 6mo ago
    The word “unpopular” doesn’t exist in Trump’s vocabulary. The logic is that you don’t vote the Fraudster in Chief out of office during a war. And he desperately wants to stay in office. Ideally without being seen actively sabotaging elections.

c8ares 6mo ago

They've had the best recruiting performance in 10+ years.

deleted 6mo ago
[deleted]
pragmatic 6mo ago
And the worst job market maybe ever for that age group?

franczesko 6mo ago

+ a war for another country

thoi234293847 6mo ago

[flagged]

UltraSane 6mo ago
2003? Really?

UltraSane 6mo ago

I think smart people do NOT want to enlist while Trump is Commander in Chief and Hegseth is in charge of the Military. The way the crew of the USS Ford have been treated is despicable.

Bender 6mo ago
I get why you are saying that but historically those that enlisted ended up with better roles and less likely to serve in the infantry unless of course one wish to do that. This of course assumes the draft is actually utilized.
- UltraSane 6mo ago
  The draft is not going to happen, especially under Trump.

deepsun 6mo ago

> during peace talks Well, I'm old enough to remember many "peace talks" go to eternity wit absolutely zero results. In many countries around the world. Just to create the argument.

tunesmith 6mo ago
What's your therefore??
colordrops 6mo ago
Are you suggesting that it's a valid tactic to using peace talks to get your opponent to let their guard is down so you can attack them?

deleted 6mo ago

[deleted]

dinkumthinkum 6mo ago

[flagged]

llmthrow0827 6mo ago
Those numbers are before starting GWOT 2.0. Was abandoning all regional bases and most advanced radar in the area as soon as the war started part of the plan? Sending the USS Gerald Ford in even though it was already on extended deployment? Not having any minesweepers anywhere near the area? How about loading F35s with barbell weights to balance the aircraft, because they don't have radar systems? Pulling THAAD systems from South Korea within a week of starting the war? That, and many more examples, point to an ill-thought-out decapitation strike, on someone else's timeline, with no contingency plan in the case that didn't severely cripple the Iranian government and state.
toast0 6mo ago
> How would one explain that all of this is quite literally not true and military recruitment is significantly higher under this administration? Bad economy -> high army recruitment. (Also bad economy -> lower immigration, legal and not)
- dinkumthinkum 6mo ago
  We had a worse economy under Biden. I guess, try again?
- bostik 6mo ago
  While reductionist, I think yours is a legitimate "in a nutshell" take. It would be interesting to see the relevant statistics over time, ideally broken down by geographical regions, their median incomes and the respective employment / military recruitment success rates. I admit that I am partial to your view of the world. A mate in university, about a quarter of a century ago, made a rather striking observation: "In the US, military is a national jobs program for a nation that is psychologically hostile to jobs programs."
pragmatic 6mo ago
But that decade includes the first Trump administration also. I don’t think that supports your argument. What is probably happening is the job crisis for young people. The army is once again an attractive job.

polotics 6mo ago

Yes, and still note, about using the word "winning". Jeannette Rankin: "You can no more win a war, than you can win an earthquake"

benterix 6mo ago
> You can no more win a war, than you can win an earthquake This is quite clear for younger people who grew in an interconnected world. But some old folks (73 y.o., 79 y.o.) seem to live in the old world where winning, or an illusion of it, is still a thing.
- polotics 6mo ago
  this quote is from 1919 not 2019 by the way AFAIK, so there is nothing new under the sun
- crm9125 6mo ago
  That word "Interconnected" is very important. As it's not an age thing, since many young folks may still think this way. It's an education thing. Uneducated/unconnected people are unable to appropriately interpret the world and the events that happen within it as they have not learned about or experienced similar situations and their outcomes/consequences.

tempodox 6mo ago

If the war keeps Trump in office, it has fulfilled its purpose and will be counted a win. This is why I suspect that Israel might at least have encouragement from the U.S., direct or indirect.

tastyface 6mo ago
Why would the war keep Trump in office? It is widely unpopular.
- tempodox 6mo ago
  The word “unpopular” doesn’t exist in Trump’s vocabulary. The logic is that you don’t vote the Fraudster in Chief out of office during a war. And he desperately wants to stay in office. Ideally without being seen actively sabotaging elections.