{"id":38746,"date":"2022-09-24T15:58:20","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T15:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/09\/24\/whats-missing-from-the-conversation-on-air-force-recruiting\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:14:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:14:36","slug":"whats-missing-from-the-conversation-on-air-force-recruiting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2022\/09\/24\/whats-missing-from-the-conversation-on-air-force-recruiting\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s missing from the conversation on Air Force recruiting?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force is on track to meet its 2022 recruitment goal by Sept. 30, but warns it\u2019s limping across the finish line with less cushion than it\u2019d like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of Sept. 15, the active duty Air Force had brought in more than 25,000 new enlisted airmen, or about 97% of its goal of 26,151 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Air Force expects to close the gap in the final weeks of the fiscal year, it typically wants 25% more recruits than needed to fill its open spots. That gives the service some wiggle room in case people drop out of training or if its workforce suddenly needs a boost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, it projects it will have a buffer of just 10% \u2014 about a month\u2019s worth of recruits instead of the optimal three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be landing on fumes,\u201d Air Force Recruiting Service boss Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas told Air Force Times in a recent interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials point to the hot job market, pandemic-era ripple effects, the obesity epidemic and disinterest in military service among younger Americans as the main culprits behind dwindling enlisted recruitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon claims that three-fourths of Americans ages 17 to 24 are too overweight to join, or would need waivers for other medical issues or criminal histories. One in 10 would consider pursuing military service at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though those often-repeated statistics focus on the portion of the U.S. that is historically most likely to enlist, they ignore millions more Americans who can join the Air Force until age 40.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some say the military is overly preoccupied with eligibility and propensity data, and use it as a scapegoat to avoid hard discussions about changing those benchmarks and other factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe military needs to take as broad a view [as] possible of who can serve, what are the qualifications and how can we work to allow as many people to serve as possible, while not compromising on the quality of the people that join the services,\u201d said Thomas Spoehr, head of the defense program at the Heritage Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis recruiting crisis will cause the leaders to step back and take a long look at our processes, qualifications and standards,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much ado about standards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The military is trying to convince people to join its ranks after two decades of increasingly unpopular wars<\/a> in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria that \u2014 at least initially \u2014 drove a spike in recruitment among those eager to serve their country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2011 Pew Research Center study found 33% of Americans ages 18-29 had an immediate family member in uniform, compared to more than 75% of those over 50 \u2014 limiting their understanding of modern military life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s workforce is more transient than in decades past, and struggles with more student debt, the rising cost of living and a volatile housing market. And military families, a typically steadfast source of new members, are turning to other pursuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against that backdrop, the Air Force says it\u2019s having one of the toughest recruiting stretches of the past quarter-century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ram\u00f3n Col\u00f3n-L\u00f3pez listens to an enlisted accessions recruiter talk about Air National Guard recruiting in the Live Oak, Texas, Air Force recruiting station Feb. 9. His visit with Air Force Recruiting Service recruiters and leadership was meant to give the SEAC insight on how the Joint Force is approaching today\u2019s challenges. (Randy Martin\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe big question culturally centers around the tension between expanding the pool of eligible candidates without lowering standards,\u201d said Katherine Kuzminski, a military personnel expert at the Center for a New American Security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the active duty Air Force, the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, the service brings in around 50,000 recruits each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year, the Air Force sets its personnel goals based on current retention trends and which career fields are understaffed. Then, it sets out to find people whose skills, character and even home lives meet the Air Force\u2019s own set of standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Thomas pointed to a decision to do away with a ban on small hand tattoos, which he said ruled out about 1,500 potential recruits last year, and to the Air Force\u2019s evolving stance on single parents. In 2015, its policy changed to allow unmarried, single parents with custody of up to three children under the age of 18 to enlist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve adapted to societal norms,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cWe\u2019ve adapted to the trends in society, to the demographics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the COVID-era retention boom two years ago, Thomas said, the service could afford to turn away otherwise qualified people who ran afoul of a single standard, including for issues that can be waived. The service is now combing through those rules to ensure it\u2019s not sacrificing too much quantity for quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Debate continues over whether factors like someone\u2019s height-to-weight ratio should disqualify them from service altogether, when they could still pass fitness tests or may be well-suited for a desk job in a field like finance or acquisition. The same issue comes up when discussing potential disqualification for common conditions like diabetes, endometriosis and attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe normalization of therapy and increased screening for potential issues like ADHD over the last 20 years means that current potential recruits may face ineligibility for military service for conditions or challenges that existed in previous generations, but weren\u2019t documented,\u201d Kuzminski said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naysayers argue that allowing people with conditions that may make them nondeployable in a crisis, regardless of their job, would weaken the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have no intent to lower standards,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cWe need to continue to bring in a very high-quality airman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not just for teenagers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While most Air Force recruits are younger than 25, in part because of the service\u2019s focus on that demographic, the service has to make up for lost time in wooing older millennials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The active duty Air Force didn\u2019t allow people between the ages of 27 and 39 to enlist until 2014. That puts millennials \u2014 those between ages 25 and 41 this year \u2014 squarely in the Air Force\u2019s recruiting crosshairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Younger workers are more likely than previous generations to work at multiple places over the course of their careers, as well as to switch careers altogether. And following the past two years\u2019 \u201cGreat Resignation,\u201d in which nearly 50 million Americans quit their jobs to look for better pay, more flexibility and a greater sense of purpose, some millennials could turn to the military as an option they may have not considered before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Air Force mentors attend a training session by Air Force Recruiting Service’s Detachment 1 during an Aim High outreach event at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, Nov. 15, 2019. The event supports the Rated Diversity Improvement Strategy through youth engagement, community outreach, and professional development and networking. (Master Sgt. Chance Babin\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Enlisting later in life has grown increasingly popular since the policy changed, but those airmen are still in the minority. Another lesser-known option is direct commissioning, which can bring in mid-career workers with advanced degrees to replace officers who begin leaving after five years or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe services should not stop trying to recruit Americans when they turn 24 \u2026 although it is rare to get anybody even in their late 20s,\u201d Spoehr said. \u201cIn today\u2019s environment, they shouldn\u2019t overlook anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spoehr, who commanded basic training units during nearly 40 years in the Army, argues that military service is largely a \u201cyoung person\u2019s game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe long hours and physical training do wear on older people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a study of Army recruitment, however, the federally funded think tank Rand Corp. found that older recruits dropped out of basic training more often, but those who stuck it out performed better than younger soldiers and stayed in the service longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe old mentality was that older recruits tended to be \u2018market failures\u2019 \u2014 people who didn\u2019t make the cut in college or the civilian market,\u201d said Kuzminski, who worked on the study released earlier this year. \u201cMany of them had really thought through the decision more deeply before signing on, and were driven by both mission and predictability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military advertising doesn\u2019t often showcase the variety of jobs an airman can have throughout their career, which can appeal to people who may want to explore multiple options, who may not like the available jobs a recruiter pitches, or aren\u2019t interested in specialty skills like flying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nor do ads often portray airmen\u2019s families or hobbies, helping to fuel misunderstandings about how troops are allowed to spend their free time. For instance, just two of the 90 photos and videos posted on the official Air Force Instagram account since May have portrayed family, and none show off-duty life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two new ad campaigns for the Guard and Reserve are trying to bridge that gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone is drawn to the machismo of an ad like \u201cOwn the Sky,\u201d which began airing in theaters ahead of \u201cTop Gun: Maverick,\u201d Thomas said. So instead of adrenaline-pumping airborne maneuvers, the ads for part-time airmen focus on off-duty time with family and in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Air Force’s airpower-centric ad “Own the Sky” shows pilots of 5th-generation fighters pulling Gs and performing high-speed maneuvers. The commercial began playing in movie theaters in May. The Air Force\u2019s advertising agency, GSD&M, filmed “Own the Sky” at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (Screenshot from GSD&M video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the analytics and all the thought we put behind our ad campaign are to be able to throw a wide net, to be able to attract a very diverse population and people who \u2026 are motivated differently,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force\u2019s legacy and social media advertising largely targets 17- to 24-year-olds, and can be tweaked to show up in the feeds of a slightly older audience. But it\u2019s a recruiter\u2019s job, not an ad\u2019s, to make sure people understand the full scope of military benefits, Thomas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people are aware that military service can earn them a free college education. But older prospects may be more interested in Department of Veterans Affairs loans that make homeownership more accessible and affordable, as well as free health care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re talking about everything from job skills, to travel to training to education to retirement, depending on who the applicant is, some of those things a recruiter will emphasize more than others,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health records creating new hurdle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon\u2019s rocky rollout of MHS Genesis, a new electronic health record system designed to improve continuity of care during and after someone\u2019s military service, has \u201cchallenged our recruiting system in a particularly tough year,\u201d Thomas acknowledged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genesis aims to compile disparate health records in one place for easier access to a more complete medical history. But not everyone has information readily available to put into the system, dragging out the application process while MEPS, recruiters, and prospective airmen hash out those details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMedical information may be discovered that can lead to more applicants requiring a waiver or being disqualified for military service,\u201d Air Force recruiting spokesperson Chrissy Cuttita said in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about complaints that applicants are being turned away for reasons like a vitamin deficiency or a previous inhaler prescription that may not have surfaced before, Cuttita said the service\u2019s goal is to root out the \u201ctrue medical risk\u201d someone could face once in the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cApplicants are not disqualified for medications per se, but for the condition that the medication is typically used to treat,\u201d she said. \u201cAlso, a prescription history should match what the applicant claimed on their medical history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enlistment physicals have also been delayed while doctors learn the new software, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas described Genesis as a \u201cnecessary contributor\u201d to lower recruitment because centralizing electronic health records is \u201cabsolutely the right way ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something we need to be able to make successful and we will, but it\u2019s a challenge in the meantime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THC-positive no longer disqualifying<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More applicants are testing positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, at Military Entrance Processing Stations as a growing list of states legalize weed, Thomas said. That typically gets someone permanently banned from joining the Air Force or Space Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To address that hurdle, the Air Force Recruiting Service is working on a new policy to waive positive tests in certain situations. If the person is otherwise qualified to serve and the Air Force believes they will act in good faith and forgo cannabis once in the service, Thomas said those would be grounds for a waiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Air Force Junior ROTC Leadership Development Manager Wayne Barron speaks to a group of cadets at Logan High School in Logan, Ohio, Aug. 29. Logan High School, which received approval to start an Air Force Junior ROTC program last year, just started its first full academic year. (AF JROTC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to be realistic today,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cWe need to exercise common sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nathalie Grogan, another researcher at CNAS, said adjusting the rules on marijuana could play a role in opening the door to as much as one-third of young American men who may have disqualifying past criminal conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military services have little control over rules related to illegal substances, particularly in cases like marijuana where the drug can be legal at the state level but not federal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver-policing of growing minority populations and some states\u2019 legalization of marijuana may be leading to an untenable trajectory if the standards remain unchanged,\u201d Grogan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drug sobriety requirements are one piece of a larger conversation on how the communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by uneven law enforcement and sentencing, and recent criminal justice reforms to address those disparities, factor into military recruitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe military now bars from service most candidates with a significant criminal record or documented history of drug use. At the same time, arrests and drug use are increasing among American youth,\u201d Grogan said. \u201cArrest rates are higher in low-income communities and communities of color.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black people are more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people in every state, one factor that further complicates the military\u2019s difficulties in recruiting a force that looks like America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a more modern approach to conduct waivers, Grogan argues the military should look at people\u2019s social standing more holistically, including their criminal background and drug use. She also said the services can do more to recruit young women, who are less likely to have a criminal record than men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Kuzminski argues that screening applicants for bad behavior is better in the long run, noting that people who receive waivers for past misconduct are more likely to run afoul of rules during their service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military is more concerned with crimes committed than sentences received, and many convictions can be waived, Spoehr added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ones that cannot be waived typically involve felonies and violence: aggravated assault, burglary, manslaughter, robbery,\u201d he said. \u201cI think, for good reason, people with those types [of] records are probably not suited to military service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give it time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s too early to tell how recent policy changes within each service \u2014 like those that affect military family planning and women\u2019s opportunities to serve, overhaul sexual assault prosecutions, and allow cadets with children to enroll at U.S. military academies \u2014 could affect recruitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, experts and service members alike say the Air Force needs to stop relying on enlistment bonuses to hook people. Use that money to educate the public, build a savvier social media presence or help airmen, they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kuzminski touted the Army\u2019s new preparation course for those who fall short of academic or physical requirements as a model for the other services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt promises to expand the number of new recruits from the pool of individuals who are already interested in service but might otherwise be sidelined, and does so without having to reduce standards,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain improvements can start with the Air Force Recruiting Service itself, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Air Force Master Sgt. James Robison, 330th Recruiting Squadron recruiter, provides instruction to cadets from Air Force ROTC Detachment 756 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, May 3. Warrior Day was a physically taxing event showcasing the real missions of Air Force special warfare airmen. (Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some airmen have talked openly about their struggles with finding a recruiter who knows how to help them join a particular career field, like health care, or attempts to fight a medical misdiagnosis that kept them from enlisting. Others say they were given incorrect information about what waivers were available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked whether that speaks to a need for better recruiter training, Thomas said they\u2019re exceptions to the rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe do have those issues, and we work through them,\u201d he said. \u201cOccasionally, we do have some training issues. But all in all, our recruiters are well prepared to be able to walk them through \u2026 all of the information about each individual career field.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Air Force says it\u2019s having one of the toughest recruiting stretches of the past quarter-century.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":35203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":67,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","home","left-column"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,24,88,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3392],"class_list":["post-38746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"V3CMN74AVNAFJB6FRYYBRXMDWM","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-air-force\/2022\/09\/24\/whats-missing-from-the-conversation-on-air-force-recruiting\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s missing from the conversation on Air Force recruiting? - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Air Force says it\u2019s having one of the toughest recruiting stretches of the past quarter-century.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What\u2019s missing from the conversation on Air Force recruiting?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Air Force says it\u2019s having one of the toughest recruiting stretches of the past quarter-century.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2022\/09\/24\/whats-missing-from-the-conversation-on-air-force-recruiting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-09-24T15:58:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T21:14:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rachel S. 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