Changes

In 2023 the [[Pentagon]] reported that the individual services missed their recruitment goals by a combined total of 41,000 personnel. Military recruiters say [[Generation Z]] - those born between 1997 and 2012 generally have a 'low trust in institutions' and have 'decreasingly followed traditional life and career paths.'

In 2023 the [[Pentagon]] reported that the individual services missed their recruitment goals by a combined total of 41,000 personnel. Military recruiters say [[Generation Z]] - those born between 1997 and 2012 generally have a 'low trust in institutions' and have 'decreasingly followed traditional life and career paths.'

The [[US Army]] alone lost nearly 10% of its forces in just 3 years: The [[Marine Corps]] are down 5%. ''[[Forbes]]'' reported that: “In the face of a massive shortage of [[Navy]] sailors, America’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), has downsized, cutting the crew aboard by hundreds of sailors.”<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2023/12/12/facing-a-navy-wide-sailor-shortage-uss-ford-sheds-500-600-crew/?sh=6ba78d3b51c0</ref> The personpower crisis is so severe that the USS Gerald Ford - quite literally the most premiere American surface asset - is operating with hundreds of sailors trimmed from its complement. The Navy can no longer adequately crew its most important vessels.

The [[US Army]] alone lost nearly 10% of its forces since 2020. The [[Marine Corps]] are down 5%. ''[[Forbes]]'' reported that: “In the face of a massive shortage of [[Navy]] sailors, America’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), has downsized, cutting the crew aboard by hundreds of sailors.”<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2023/12/12/facing-a-navy-wide-sailor-shortage-uss-ford-sheds-500-600-crew/?sh=6ba78d3b51c0</ref> The personpower crisis is so severe that the USS Gerald Ford - quite literally the most premiere American surface asset - is operating with hundreds of sailors trimmed from its complement. The Navy can no longer adequately crew its most important vessels.

The cuts appear to be deep and dramatic. In 2023 some 500 to 600 sailors have left the USS Ford and not been replaced. In fact, the USS Ford has shed so many crew members that the ship’s company (core crew members that operate the vessel) is below the Ford-class Carrier Program’s original Acquisition Program Baseline objective of 2,391 billets—a goal set back in 2004 that many observers considered unrealistic. When a highly sophisticated piece of equipment like an aircraft carrier is undermanned, it has immediate long lasting and detrimental effects on everything, from its maintenance to its lifespan. i.e. an understaffed ship will experience a much shorter life span as it will incur far greater mechanical and other problems due to the inability of the small crew to rigorously maintain everything necessary.

The cuts appear to be deep and dramatic. In 2023 some 500 to 600 sailors have left the USS Ford and not been replaced. In fact, the USS Ford has shed so many crew members that the ship’s company (core crew members that operate the vessel) is below the Ford-class Carrier Program’s original Acquisition Program Baseline objective of 2,391 billets—a goal set back in 2004 that many observers considered unrealistic. When a highly sophisticated piece of equipment like an aircraft carrier is undermanned, it has immediate long lasting and detrimental effects on everything, from its maintenance to its lifespan. i.e. an understaffed ship will experience a much shorter life span as it will incur far greater mechanical and other problems due to the inability of the small crew to rigorously maintain everything necessary.