Recruits for the United States Army during tests.

According to a report published on Thursday by American broadcaster Fox News, the United States army missed its targeted "recruiting goals for 2022 by 25%", estimated at about 15,000 service members.

The report added that one of the leading causes of the decline in the numbers of new enlistees is the "confluence of obesity, lack of high school diplomas and accelerated mental health crises among youth."

In November of 2021, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth told an audience at the Center for a New American Security that the US Army failed to reach its 2021 recruitment target by 25%.

The media outlet also said that the separation of the army from society led to a "declining interest in military service" and a significant drop in recruits from military families.

The report suggested that the military can carry out several changes to address long-term negative trends, such as better communicating the recruitee's missions and targeting them "more carefully", in addition to helping candidates "meet criteria that make sense".

Earlier in October, The Wall Street Journal said in a report that the military of the United States is not what it used to be anymore, becoming a shell of what it once was amid the US notion that the army is unbeatable.

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According to the Heritage Foundation's 2023 Index of US Military Strength, the US military is currently "weak" and "at growing risk of not being able to meet the demands of defending America's vital national interests," which should be heavily alarming for Washington, as it is showing dwindling military strength, down from "marginal" in 2021.

Last September, the US Air Force also acknowledged the reluctance of recruits to join its ranks, especially among minorities.

A study conducted by the Pentagon indicated a 2% decline in the rate of joining the ranks of the armed forces during the past two years. It also revealed that the rate of African American interest decreased from 20% in 2019 to 11% the following year, and fell again to 8% in the fall of 2020, following the killing of African American citizen George Floyd, in addition to other factors.

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