Day: December 18, 2023

The US Army has come under fire from its younger Gen Z recruits who have moaned over pay and working conditions.

Multiple recruits have come forward to slam the US military for a wide range of concerns, including poor pay and a lack of privacy.

It comes as the US Army is facing a recruitment crisis, with the force falling short of its recruitment target by 15 per cent.

One of those criticising the army was TikTok military influencer Anthony Laster who slammed army life for having “No Privacy, The Pay Sucks, Sh***y Food, Disrespectful Leadership, NO SLEEP!”

However, in a separate video, Laster laid out some positives of joining the army, including: “100 per cent college tuition. Travel to some cool places. Fight for your country. Get fit. Get good friends. Blow s*** up.”

The US Army expects to end up about 15,000 short of its target of 65,000 recruits for 2023, as there is concern military recruitment is failing to register with Gen Z.

Similarly, the Navy expects to fall short by 10,000 personnel and the Air Force is projected to miss its goal by 10 percent.

According to Pentagon data, last year only nine percent of young people ages 16-21 said they would consider military service.

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@shemarwill 5 reasons to not join the military #fyp #fy #money #military #viral #virginia #navy #gonavy #parents #ticktock ♬ original sound – Shemar Williams

There have also been concerns about the health of soldiers. According to a recent study of data from the Military Health System Data Repository, around 23 per cent of soldiers registered as obese in 2021.

Not only are recruits not fit enough to join, but their fitness is also declining once they’re in the ranks leaving officials scrambling to install weight loss and exercise regimens.

Soldiers have taken to TikTok to complain about having to remain below a certain weight, harsh treatment from their superiors and having to perform menial tasks instead of engaging enemies on the battlefield.

One young recruit, Shemar Williams whined that “we do not get paid enough to perform the mission that is tasked to us,” lack of autonomy and sacrifices in family life.

Sergeant Barber, 25, added life in the military is “mopping those floors 99 per cent of the time” rather than war combat.

They said: “Even if you deploy you probably won’t see combat today in this world so if that’s your mindset. Don’t join!”

Another young recruit who could only be identified as Gammage from the name on her uniform, said: “Don’t join the Army until you’re mentally prepared to be told you’re going over/under weight, treated like you’re not a good soldier if you can’t run two miles in 18 mins or less – oh and you can’t get injured either cause then it’s your fault”

According to federal data, more than 20,000 active-duty troops are on food stamps to make ends meet.

TikTok has come under fire from both Democrats and Republicans for the platform’s links with China.

The app has also been accused of pushing subversive anti-US propaganda.