re: Marine Corps Times - First female infantry Marines joining battalion on Thursday

The Military Could Soon Face Increased Recruiting Challenges

By BRIAN WAGNER on February 18, 2016

A new CNA report predicts that the military recruiting environment is about to go downhill.

After more than a half-decade operating in a favorable recruiting environment that allowed the U.S. military to be increasingly selective and to meet most recruitment goals, the new environment is “likely to become significantly less fertile in the near future,” according to a new summary report released by CNA.

“Population Representation in the Military Services” is CNA’s annual congressionally mandated study of the demographic makeup of the personnel serving in the U.S. military. This year’s report, released on Feb. 10, pins 2014 — the most recent year for which data is available — as a turning point in which the increasingly strong civilian labor market and declining Department of Defense budget begin to erode the bargaining position of recruiters interacting with American young adults.

The report warns the DoD that “without sufficient planning and resources, military recruiting will be characterized by ‘boom and bust’ periods, as has been the case in past years.” The downsides of increased volatility in recruiting are plentiful, including higher recruiting costs and the potential to recruit lower-quality service members.


CNA researchers note that a strong economy and smaller recruiting budget is leading to a talent pool that is shrinking faster than the military is downsizing. "

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PBS The Marines

This video covers the female side of the Marine Corps in some detail.