America isn’t ready for another war — because it doesn’t have the troops

Three of America’s four major military services failed to recruit enough servicemembers in 2023 .

The Army has failed to meet its manpower goals for the last two years and missed its 2023 target by 10,000 soldiers, a 20 percent shortfall.

Israel 's heavily automated Gaza perimeter was breached by well-trained but low-tech Hamas terrorists.

The All-Volunteer Force ( AVF ) is really an all-recruited force.

Fewer than 10 percent of young Americans aged 16 to 21 say they would seriously consider signing up to the military, says Peter Bergen .

Bergen: The Army ’s IRR pool has shrunk from 700,000 in 1973 to 76,000 by 2023 .

The AVF has come to rely on a smaller and smaller share of the nation, he says.

A Pew Research Center survey found that 58 and 64 percent of veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq , respectively, say those conflicts were not worth fighting.

Some more mundane elements of the military lifestyle are contributing to rising disillusionment within the warrior caste.

The Army has taken a dramatic step toward increasing its recruiting pool by standing up the Future Soldier Preparatory Course .