Air Force, other branches of military struggling to attract new recruits

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The nationwide labor shortage is also affecting the Department of Defense, specifically the Air Force.

Officials said national security depends on a steady pipeline of qualified candidates, which recruiters aren’t seeing as consistently.

“With recruitment numbers being down, it affects national security,” Air Force recruiter Staff Sergeant David Peoples said.

The Air Force is offering thousands in new incentives to future Airmen.

“If you don’t have enough people going through the pipeline transitioning through basic military training, then that could hinder our defenses later on in the nation,” Staff Sergeant Peoples said.

Recruiters said the Air Force is trying to assess 4,500 more people before the end of the 2022 fiscal year, which is in October.

“We’re just currently just like everyone else, we’re struggling with the labor shortage,” Air Force recruiter Technical Sergeant Ricky Rea said.

To bring in more Airmen, they’re bringing in more money.

“One big one is we started an $8,000 bonus for what we call a quick-ship fill. So essentially, if someone were to fall out of a position, we now are giving $8,000 bonuses to those people who fill [them], where you come in, you’re qualified, and you leave the next week,” Rea said.

According to the Air Force Recruiting Service, bonuses differ between a 4 and a 6-year commitment.

The addition of the quick-ship program bonus goes until September 30.

“We’re offering this incentive so that way we can have more people still fill those lines,” Peoples said.

It isn’t only the Air Force struggling to recruit service men and women.

This March, Army officials held a briefing in which they said their recruitment goals were also challenged this fiscal year.

Army officials made the choice to reduce end strength numbers as opposed to lowering standards, which would lower the quality of the recruiting pool.

Air Force officials said if they don’t meet their recruitment goals this year, it will be the first time since 1999.

If you’re interested in joining the Air Force, you can visit one of seven recruiting locations across NE Florida.

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