why did the US military lose its prestige/gatekeeping ability so rapidly?

not long ago, you had to serve to be anyone.

now, it's relatively rare that anyone who is "anyone" had served and it becomes less common each passing year.

why did this happen?

Steady decline in pointless wars more than likely.

I know personally that the Army is accepting idiots which really isn’t a new thing for them tbh. I suppose desperate times call for desperate cadets. Sad reality however you cut it

You serious Clark? Would you want to serve this clown administration?

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not long ago, you had to serve to be anyone.

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Yeah the military was a lifelong dream for Elvis, Jimmi Hendrix, and Bobby Murcer.

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why did this happen?

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They ended the draft in ‘72 lol. How old are you?

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not long ago, you had to serve to be anyone.

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Obama is the answer

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not long ago, you had to serve to be anyone.

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What?

The infatuation with homosexuality happened. We lost all credibility

During the Civil War, those of means were able the buy their way out of service to their country and instead profit greatly for themselves. This was in opposition of those who had come before them to serve a country and escape the vestiges of the countries they left to be free, even if it was to endure hardship.

As a young man I sat the feet that who have served (both wealthy and poor side by side) to once again serve a country over themselves. Many of those since have returned to the service of self and have lost that wich so many died for.

The question you should ask, is not what we have lost today, but what we will teach the future if we are to regain the honor of service to others over self and continue a past well in to those who come after all of us are long dead and dust.

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No..where did you get this shitty take from?

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Likely referring to WWII recruits that were rated 4F, undraftable, who killed themselves because they weren't allowed to enlist. Similarly, the amount of shame dumped on Brits that didn't volunteer in WWI was amazing.

The phenomenon is cyclical, but will always repeat. Just speaking from personal observation as a military brat and an enlisted puke, it's not complicated. Democratic administrations, for decades, have prioritized anything but the military's primary job. Win, and don't waste lives doing it.

We had 19K (tankers) in the nasty guard in the 90s that told me they didn't have enough diesel to use their actual M1s to drill. They had to build a symbolic hull out of 2x4s, and the crew would pick it up to move it around to simulate defilade, etc.

Nothing, ever, should be more important than keeping your buddies/crewmen/etc as safe as they can be, ethically, of course. No sensitivity training, quotas, etc. It was skidding faster downhill during Biden than I've ever seen it, though. His appointment of Joint Chiefs, SecDef, and their complete stupidity is astounding, though. All political appointees are political appointees, but the recent ones are spectacularly bad at understanding warfighting is job 1. Not climate risks, sustainability goals to move the armed forces to electric vehicles, etc.

The US Navy has had more collision incidents in the last five years than I remember happening in the first 20 years of my life. But, diversity training! I think the first rule of a Navy is "Don't fall overboard," and the second rule is "don't run into shite with your boat." We have failed. SecDef, Joint Chiefs, etc., all would rather push DEI at the Naval Academy, as an example, than worry about key priorities. I don't want 2 spirit captains that are POC, I want captains that are accountable and understand every sailor on the boat depends on them, their training schemes, and judgement. But that takes a backseat these days.