Post-9/11 Surge in Military Recruitment: Causes and Implications

The rise of military recruiting after 9/11/2001
The Pentagon uses a troops sizing scale to define the limits of what the Armed Forces are able to accomplish. The ability to fight two large, almost-simultaneous wars has served as the Nations traditional force-sizing construct and hallmark of the United States of America’s superpower status, as the number of civilians joining the military has dropped, this standard has been diminished in recent years and proved insufficient over the last decade. A few reasons why there was a rise in recruiting after 9/11/2001 were financial hardships, naturalization, and patriotism. The Pentagon must accurately size all branches of the military, to not only fight and win two major wars at once, but also conduct

11, 2001, Americans showed more support for the country as well as its armed forces. Thousands of men and women lined up at recruiting stations ready to defend the nation against all enemies foreign and domestic. After 9/11, it was a time when Americans came together as a Nation, backing the flag, democracy, and defending our values vigorously. According to the United States Department of Defence (DOD), since 9/11/2001 more than 3.16 million Americans have entered military service. Men between the ages of 16-21 were more likely to join the military after 9/11. The percent rose from 15% in August of 2001 to 23% in November and dropped shortly to 18% in December of the same year. As the United States became more and more committed to the war on terror, the reasons for enlisting were increasingly patriotic. People saw the implications of the Nations war on terror and people stood up and wanted to be a part of history. Also a contributing factor to the elevated enlistment numbers and patriotism is the fact that the majority of young people that grew up during a time of war. Unlike past wars, such as Vietnam, the war on terror changed the way the public viewed America’s combat involvement. Vietnam was a very unpopular war with the national draft being involved, and the majority of the nation’s contempt being directed at returning service members. Today, it is easier for the public to differentiate between being able to support the troops even when they may not agree with the war. Patriotism is alive and well in