{"id":20668,"date":"2021-05-05T17:14:37","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T17:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/05\/05\/pandemic-and-political-discourse-challenge-army-recruiting-efforts\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:12:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:12:40","slug":"pandemic-and-political-discourse-challenge-army-recruiting-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2021\/05\/05\/pandemic-and-political-discourse-challenge-army-recruiting-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic and political discourse challenge Army recruiting efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army expects to meet its end-strength goal this year, but leaders of the effort concede that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2019\/01\/29\/after-a-rough-2018-army-recruiting-is-trying-to-turn-around-both-its-strategies-and-its-notorious-culture\/\" target=_blank>recruiting environment for new soldiers<\/a> is challenging because of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2020\/10\/29\/army-seeks-about-3500-more-infantry-recruits-this-year\/\" target=_blank>global pandemic<\/a> and political environment across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army officials involved in accessions policy spoke with reporters Wednesday ahead of a virtual recruiting push called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goarmy.com\/army-hiring-days.html?iom=AUQH-21-995_N_AP_2713407_01_hiringdays_vanity_amrg\" target=_blank>Army National Hiring Days<\/a>, which runs from May 10 until June 14. The effort began last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recruits who begin the application process during the event for 11 priority jobs, including infantryman, missile defense crewman and signals intelligence interceptor, will be offered $2,000 on top of their normal career-field enlistment bonuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The virtual effort is part of the Army\u2019s push to meet its recruiting needs in a world where brick-and-mortar recruiting stations are less frequented and the military as a whole is working to be apolitical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re in a pretty challenging recruiting environment right now,\u201d said Brig. Gen. Patrick Michaelis, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Recruiting Command. \u201cIt is because of the effects of COVID, [and] because of the effects of the political discourse and the discussions going on in our country today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michaelis did not elaborate when pressed, except to say that it\u2019s up to Army leaders to \u201cremain apolitical\u201d so military service continues to be \u201can option for today\u2019s youth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2021\/02\/18\/army-taking-a-hard-look-at-what-end-strength-it-can-actually-afford\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6448603.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Army \u2018taking a hard look\u2019 at what end-strength it can actually afford<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cWe\u2019d like a much bigger army, but what I have to do at my level is say, you know, what can we actually afford,\u201d said the Army chief of staff.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2020\/06\/04\/no-those-werent-active-duty-troops-on-the-streets-of-dc-last-night-officials-say\/\" target=_blank>National Guard soldiers were mobilized<\/a> throughout 2020 in response to domestic unrest across the United States triggered by the police killing of a Black man in Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A contentious presidential election and the presence of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2021\/05\/04\/national-guard-capitol-riot\/\" target=_blank>four part-time troops<\/a> during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/01\/11\/how-many-troops-were-involved-in-the-capitol-riot-figuring-that-out-wont-be-easy\/\" target=_blank>Capitol riot Jan. 6 <\/a>also put the military in an uncomfortable position as it grapples with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/02\/21\/extremism-in-the-ranks-is-a-threat-but-the-pentagons-not-sure-how-to-address-it\/\" target=_blank>extremism in its ranks<\/a>. Policy issues involving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2020\/06\/25\/army-ditches-promotion-photos-as-part-of-an-effort-to-eliminate-unconcious-bias\/\" target=_blank>race, gender and diversity<\/a> have also played out in the Pentagon this past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Updated Army messaging can be seen in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goarmy.com\/the-calling.html?iom=AVQG-21-072_N_AP_2715117_TheCalling_01_vanity_amrg\" target=_blank>new animated advertising campaign<\/a> that attempts to appeal to a younger and more diverse demographic by spotlighting, among others, a first-generation immigrant from Haiti, a second-generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic and a girl who was raised by two mothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How exactly the political climate will impact Army recruiting in the long-term is unclear. But service leaders are confident they can continue to meet their modest end-strength proposals that grow the force by only about 1,000 troops per year. Doing so requires more than just new recruits, but also retention of experienced soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur annual accessions mission is always based on the Army\u2019s end-strength, so it fluctuates based on how the Army is doing with retention and attrition throughout the year,\u201d said Col. Rich McNorton, an Army spokesman assisting with the press briefing Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2020\/05\/20\/army-retention-rises-as-economy-slumps-but-recruiting-hasnt-seen-a-boom-yet\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3396513.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Army retention rises as economy slumps, but recruiting hasn\u2019t seen a boom yet<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The general in charge of Army recruiting said the economic downturn doesn&#039;t appear to have impacted enlistments \u2014 yet.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The final accessions number for the regular Army is expected to be in the mid-60,000 range, as it has been for the past few years, McNorton added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, the Army believes it is meeting those numbers largely because of innovative virtual options like the Army National Hiring Days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are in a similar position where we were at last year,\u201d Michaelis said. \u201cRight now, we\u2019re sitting pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last year, the Army recruiters developed 30,000 leads that could turn into new contracts during the National Hiring Days event. This year, they hope to double that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The event was only three days long last year. This year, it will last more than a month, which will give corps- and division-level commanders across the country more time to plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat it allows, is for the rest of the Army to get involved in a much deeper level,\u201d said Gen. Paul Funk, who leads U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt also allows us to bring in more physical events at the local levels,\u201d Funk added. \u201cBy giving those subordinate commands \u2026 more time to plan, we\u2019re going to get a deeper, richer penetration into the [recruiting] market.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A virtual recruiting push is part of the Army\u2019s effort to meet its recruiting needs in a world where brick-and-mortar recruiting stations are less frequented and the military as a whole is working to be 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