Jeff Jackson: “Recruitment is down in the military. Fewer young people are joining, in part because unemployment is low and they have…”

“Recruitment is down in the military. Fewer young people are joining, in part because unemployment is low and they have higher paying options elsewhere. I would love to show young people that the military is still a good option for them, as it was for me. In order to do that, I need some help from my friends across the aisle. I need them to put the dog whistle down. Each year's class of new recruits to our military is now the most diverse in the history of our Nation. Every time they blow the dog whistle against diversity, it is not just their political base that hears it, it is young people who are trying to decide whether to enlist in our All-Volunteer Force. Last week's debate over the defense bill featured a series of very clear dog whistles. There was one for gay people, one for transgender people, one for Black people, and one for women. Don't remember? They ran amendments on Pride flags, diversity programs, books in libraries, and abortion. Those were all dog whistles for their base. Our generals asked for none of that. One of our colleagues even went so far as to say that the military's strength ``is not its diversity.'' Someone in this building explicitly defended white nationalism in our military. When it comes to recruitment, I assure you, that is not helping. Caring about the military means caring about the people who serve in it, not using them as a political punching bag.…”