June 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army will celebrate its 250th birthday on Saturday with a parade in Washington, in which about 6,600 soldiers and heavy pieces of military equipment will roll through the streets. The parade aims to display the Army's history and power.
"It's going to be incredible," President Donald Trump recently said. Trump's 79th birthday also occurs on Saturday.
Despite the festivities, however, the parade will occur amid bleak times for the U.S. military, as it experiences a multiyear decline in recruitment numbers. In the face of a pandemic and a strong civilian job market, the Army, Air Force and Navy all missed their recruitment goals in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, the Army missed its quota by 25%.
In 2024, the U.S. military met its recruitment target, which supports the argument that the bump is not due to Trump, as recruitment levels began to rise again before his reelection. But in some cases, the U.S. military has met its recruitment goals by lowering target numbers.
And as a scholar of terrorism and targeted violence, I believe a close reading of available data on military recruitment suggests U.S. gun violence may be largely to blame for the lack of interest in joining the military.
