homeagain wrote:
FredHayek wrote: President Trump is restoring the US military. After years of being used as a social program, and having the Left denigrate their service and spit on returning veterans.
For the 250th anniversary of the republic, our military will celebrate their achievements again. Freeing nations from communist rule, freeing enslaved people, and aiding communities around the world after disaster strikes.
Celebrate nine decades of Pax Americana.
he military is currently facing challenges with staffing, particularly at the officer level, as recruitment has been difficult. The Army, for example, has seen a decline in active-duty personnel and is struggling to meet its recruitment goals, which could lead to a further reduction in force size. resources.aferm.org USAFacts
Current Staffing Levels of Military Officers
Overall Officer Strength
As of 2025, the total number of active-duty officers in the U.S. military is approximately 1.3 million.
The Army has faced significant challenges in maintaining its officer strength, with a projected decline in active-duty personnel.
Recruitment and Retention Challenges
The Army's recruitment has been particularly difficult, with a 41% decrease in recruits since 1987 and a 30% attrition rate within the first three years of service.
Recent efforts have aimed to improve recruitment, including increased pay and adjusted strategies, but challenges remain due to a shrinking pool of eligible candidates.
Comparison of Officer Retention Rates
Military Branch Current Officer Strength Attrition Rate (First 36 Months)
Army Approximately 450,000 30%
Marine Corps Approximately 186,000 19%
Navy Approximately 330,000 23%
Air Force Approximately 320,000 23%
Factors Affecting Officer Staffing
The military has seen a decline in the percentage of young adults meeting physical and academic qualifications, dropping from 29% to 23% since 2017.
Economic competition and changing job market conditions have made it harder to attract high-quality candidates.
The military is actively working to address these staffing issues, but the overall trend indicates a need for continued focus on recruitment and retention strategies.
U.S. Army USAFacts
Sooooo . . . what you're saying here is that Biden did a horrible job with the military and that this shows up as greatly reduced retention rates. Because, when you look at the statistics you are presenting, they are "as of 2025", which is when Trump became president, again. So the figures are pre-2025, because we all know it takes a bit of time to accumulate, organize, interrogate, and derive conclusions from data that has been collected . . .
So what this tells anyone not suffering from TDS, this is a confirmation that seeking to turn our warriors into social experiments didn't go so well . . .
Oh, by the way, orders are presumed to be lawful, unless they are manifestly unlawful, such as attacking civilians, or to commit theft or fraud. Every National Guard member, officer and enlisted alike, was required to follow the orders to assist federal agencies in LA because those orders originated with the Commander in Chief and were received through the appropriate chain of command. In the absence of a court order declaring them illegal, to refuse those orders at the time would have opened up the members of the National Guard to charges under Article 90, Article 92, and, potentially, Article 94, even if a court later found the orders themselves to be unlawful. They are presumed lawful at the time unless they are manifestly unlawful.
Incidentally, not a single one of the 6 Democrats, all of whom were former military, retired military or former federal agency employees, who signed that letter and spoke out on social media, including our own Jason Crow, could cite even a single illegal order, or even a supposed illegal order, that had been issued. So, their efforts boil down to more of a "Captain Obvious" moment, or a PSA, that says don't break the law to someone with no history of breaking any laws.
