Air Force Needs to Be More 'Relatable' to Attract a Gen Z That's 'Not Patriotic,' Head of Recruiting

Well this is interesting...

Air Force Needs to Be More 'Relatable' to Attract a Gen Z That's 'Not Patriotic,' Head of Recruiting Says

"This is a very unique generation," Thomas told Military.com. "Generation Z is not patriotic, in the traditional sense; they're also less trusting of government. … However, Generation Z, these young Americans, still want to have a purpose, they want to be able to make a difference, they want to do something that they feel is really important and meaningful. But we have to become part of that relevant conversation."


I'm not sure Gen Z's "purpose" has anything to do with defending the country however.


"In response to the alarming recruiting statistics, the Air Force is tackling some of its most progressive policy reforms in years.

Earlier this month, the Department of the Air Force announced it is now allowing tattoos on the neck and hands, a policy change aimed at bringing younger talent into the ranks.

As first reported by Military.com earlier this year, the Department of the Air Force is also unveiling a new Body Composition Program, set to be implemented in April, which would use a waist-to-height ratio as a replacement for the old waist measurement portion of the physical assessment. It is designed to be less rigid than the former abdominal tape test while still setting a standard for body composition for the force.

Last year, the Air Force and Space Force announced a new pilot program that would grant certain highly qualified and otherwise perfect applicants who test positive for THC, the main psychoactive component in marijuana, a chance to retest and possibly join the ranks."

Hmmm...so allowing freak like tattoos, allow fatter recruits, and let stoned people fly.

These are the recruiting strategies of a declining power. If the Air Force really thinks the only way to attract pilots is to pick the stoned ones, I think maybe we have an Air Force structure that's too big for a 330 million country. Rather than scouring the fatties and stoners to fill the ranks, we should face reality and shrink the force to match the slim pickings that we have available to defend the country.

That of course means we're going to have to reassess what commitments we can make and what we need to back off of. Nobody wants to have that conversation, but at some point we're going to have to face reality.