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The Army reports a rise in ASVAB test failures, from 10 to 13% (in panic-speak that’s a 30% increase!!!) among high school grads. Coupled with obesity, and drug use the Army is disqualifying 70%<\/strong> of applicants. That’s up from 30-40% pre-Covid. Let’s just say “almost doubled”.<\/p>\n Each year an estimated 110,000 individuals meet recruiters with an interest in joining the Army, he said. That number hasn\u2019t changed substantially. What has changed is the disqualification rates, he said.<\/p>\n Before the COVID-19 pandemic, between 30% and 40% of those interested in joining were disqualified for service for several reasons. Since COVID, that rate has increased to nearly 70% in the first 48 hours of screening, he said.<\/p>\n Obesity, drug use and poor academics drove most of the disqualifications, he said. Drug use is a growing concern.<\/p>\n Fewer Americans have a relative in the military or live near a base. And younger Americans rely on their peers and their own news sources to learn.<\/p>\n \u201cName your platform, the Army\u2019s not there and the things being said about the Army are not positive at all,\u201d Hendrex said.<\/p>\n Possibly counterintuitive, but the trusted source remains a young person\u2019s parents, research shows. But, like most of America, Hendrex said, many parents only know the negatives about military service \u2014 post-9\/11 war drain, amputations, Traumatic Brain Injury, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and ongoing reports of sexual assault.<\/p>\n She said that parental support for military service dropped dramatically, more so for parents than soldiers themselves, on the Joint Advertising Market Research and Studies, a Pentagon report that surveys personnel.<\/p>\n Maj. Gen. Johnny Davis is transferring from heading Cadet Command to take over Army Recruiting Command in the coming week.<\/p>\n Davis, on the panel, posed his own, early question: is six weeks of recruiter training enough and are they covering the right areas, the right skills?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n