We Don’t Want YOU, Uncle Sam by Matthew Weiss
The military’s recruiting crisis is at an all-time high in 2023. The U.S. Army, the military’s largest branch, is expected to fall short by 15,000 recruits this year. Most of the younger generations the military can get are those who are children of someone who served — but even that source is threatened.
Other branches are seeing shortfalls, too. The Navy is going to miss its goal by 10,000 recruits; the Air Force will be short 3,000. Only the Marine Corps, the smallest branch, is expected to make its goal. News reports of substandard housing and food shortages don’t help, nor do the decades of war, followed by an epidemic of post-traumatic stress disorder and veteran suicide.
All branches are in a quandary about what they can do to make military life more appealing and make Gen-Z consider the military in their future plans. One Marine Corps intelligence officer believes he has the answers and compiled them into a new book, “We Don’t Want You Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z.”
About the Author of We Don’t Want YOU, Uncle Sam
Lt. Matthew Weiss is himself a member of Gen-Z. He spent his pre-military years working for the defense technology firm Anduril Industries, which was then a tech startup. As he worked for an innovative tech startup, he began to notice how a well-run business can attract quality Gen-Z talent in a competitive space.
Weiss would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree and an MBA at the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania’s business school. Then, he became a United States Marine. Today, he’s not only an author; he’s a Signals Intelligence and Electronic Warfare officer. It’s a unique background that gives him unique insight into why the military is having so much trouble attracting his generation.
Some of the problems he notices are the kind older generations might expect from kids born after 1997. Creating social media influencers to inspire potential new recruits to military service, shortening service contracts, and putting marijuana use on an equal footing with alcohol are just a few of his suggestions for meeting Gen-Z’s culture where it is today.
He also has some more substantial considerations. He believes his generation would respond to performance bonuses instead of the military’s structured payscale, that the military should highlight the fact that many of its jobs don’t require computer screens and that the military’s focus should be on how service helps local communities, not just warfighting.
There are more problems and solutions in the book, all explained in greater detail. Some readers may scoff at his suggestions, but the recruiting crisis will soon have the branches resorting to desperate measures to attract talent – and these potential solutions may not seem so crazy at that point.
“We Don’t Want YOU, Uncle Sam” by Matthew Weiss is available now on Kindle e-reader and in paperback for $13.59.
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Lt. Weiss understands the challenges facing all branches of the military. I’m a 68 year old U.S.Navy veteran who served in the early 70’s when Baby Boomers volunteered in large numbers to enlist. I currently have grandchildren (10) who despise anything to do with joining the military as a service to the country or as a career.
I’m certain that many of the suggestions in Lt. Weiss’ book will become solutions for attracting Gen Z’s.
Thanks for taking the time to shine a light on the path to an issue that is critical for our country’s national security.
Blessings!
Good luck to Lt. Weiss on his getting the people in the ranks to listen to him! Some are pretty hard headed and think their way is the only way. At 75 and not all that long to go I really feel for this country, the people in it and the world as a whole.
I know several very high quality military members who have decided to get out of the military due to the massive shift in culture away from the core mission. This fact only compounds the military’s inability to recruit (quality?) candidates.
I truly fear for our country if we are forced into a large scale conflict.
Simple solution: BRING BACK THE DRAFT!!! Mandatory service for this great nation should be an honor. I served twenty-two years in the Navy. I had a love-hate relationship with the Navy, but I DID serve. I have five honorable discharges on my “I Love Me Wall” and I am proud of each one. We MUST have a strong military for our nation. I work for a large school district, and I emphasize the importance of serving to each student I come in contact with. One such student attended the Naval Academy and now flies jets for the Navy. I look back at my naval service and have warm memories of my service. Today’s young people should have the same memories in their future.
If you have to issue loco weed to attract recruits, you will end up with a bunch of dopeheads who will wet their pants, suck their thumbs and cry for their mommies when the shooting starts. This in not the way to win a war.