{"id":33608,"date":"2023-09-28T14:24:14","date_gmt":"2023-09-28T14:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/09\/28\/gen-z-marine-lays-out-some-ideas-for-fixing-military-recruitment\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:52:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:52:01","slug":"gen-z-marine-lays-out-some-ideas-for-fixing-military-recruitment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2023\/09\/28\/gen-z-marine-lays-out-some-ideas-for-fixing-military-recruitment\/","title":{"rendered":"Gen Z Marine lays out some ideas for fixing military recruitment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marine 2nd Lt. Matthew Weiss was watching a news segment in which senior military officers gave their thoughts on the military\u2019s recruiting crisis <\/a>when a thought occurred to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The generals and admirals who set policy \u2014 for whom he has immense respect, he stressed \u2014 joined the military 30 years to 35 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, a second lieutenant or a new private or lance corporal is the perfect person to actually be talking about these issues,\u201d thought Weiss, now age 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Weiss wrote a book, published in July by Night Vision Publishing, called \u201cWe Don\u2019t Want You, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 21 chapters<\/a>, the book covers a lot of ground: emphasizing ways the military can give back to society, increasing remote work options, offering shorter contracts, loosening marijuana policies, eradicating sexual assault and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process of joining the military is still fresh for Weiss, who became a Marine only a year and a half ago, he told Marine Corps Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A native of Tenafly, New Jersey, he received a bachelor of science degree and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Wharton School of Business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduating in 2021, he worked at the defense company Anduril before heading to Officer Candidates School in January 2022. Graduating as a Marine officer was one of the happiest moments of his life, he told Marine Corps Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Marine 2nd Lt. Matthew Weiss, center, and his parents pose for a photo right after his graduation from Officer Candidates School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, March 26, 2022. (2nd Lt. Matthew Weiss\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Weiss, now a signals intelligence officer stationed in Darwin, Australia, said his reasons for pursuing a commission were twofold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInternally, I am patriotic \u2014 I\u2019ve always wanted to do something and serve,\u201d he said. \u201cExternally, though, I really saw this as an investment in myself, an investment in being able to learn how to be a leader, an investment in my career, for that matter. I think a lot of Gen Zers are like that now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen Z typically is defined<\/a> as those born after 1996 and before the early 2010s.<\/a> Older Gen Zers are now in their late teens and early-to-mid twenties \u2015 the prime military recruitment ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Defense Department is having trouble attracting these young adults. In 2022, the services struggled to meet<\/a> accession targets, and, in early September, with less than a month to spare, the Army had met only two-thirds of its target<\/a> for the fiscal year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military leaders, recruiters and observers have blamed the recruiting challenges on factors ranging from the lure of the private sector<\/a> to a new medical screening system<\/a> to \u201cwoke\u201d DoD policies<\/a> to a lack of patriotism<\/a> and a rise in obesity among Gen Zers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people think of Gen Z as the \u201ceveryone-gets-a-trophy generation,\u201d Weiss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that\u2019s not how he sees it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The generation that grew up during the global financial crisis, the divisive 2016 election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and the COVID-19 pandemic has learned to strive in a \u201cmore difficult, more competitive world,\u201d Weiss said. Social media, with its numerical feedback of how people stack up to others in the form of likes and followers, also fostered Gen Zers\u2019 competitive streak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military needs to offer this generation competition and incentives, Weiss believes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One approach Weiss proposes is for certain commands to give incentives to squads or units that outperform others. That could come in the form of money \u2014 like the \u201cbeer money\u201d that accomplished Marine marksmen received<\/a> in the early 20th century, Weiss said. Or it could come in the form of on-the-spot promotions or more funds for a unit\u2019s birthday ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Weiss\u2019 view, the military also should revamp its policies about which medical conditions disqualify applicants for service. Increasingly, applicants have been forced to seek medical waivers<\/a>, even for conditions, like allergies or long-healed broken bones, that Weiss thinks may not affect job performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\t