The Army’s fight to find recruits in a mistrustful, divided nation

Recruiters are contending with a confounding array of political, social and economic crises that have made it harder than ever to find citizens willing to serve.

Sgt. 1st Class Dane Beaston had endured the stress, frustration and disappointment of one of the worst recruiting slumps in the half-century history of the U.S. military’s all-volunteer force.

Now he was trying to do his part to end it. It was early June and his central New Jersey recruiting station was on the hook to find seven recruits who were willing to join the Army — the station’s highest monthly quota of the year. Beaston scanned a color-coded list of about 30 prospects on the station’s radar.

“That’s not nearly enough,” the 31-year-old sergeant told his recruiters as the month began.

If Beaston and his team didn’t deliver, he knew his Army career was in jeopardy. “You can do all the work 100 percent of the time,” he said. “But if you don’t find the right person, you’re out of luck.”

The unrelenting pressure Beaston and his six-person team were feeling reflected the high stakes for the military and the country. Each of the services — except for the Marine Corps — missed its 2023 recruiting goal. The Army, which had come up short two years in a row, was aiming to bring in 55,000 recruits in 2024 — about 10,000 fewer than last year’s missed goal.

More From The Washington Post (subscription required):