US Coast Guard misses recruiting target for 4th year in a row.

The U.S. Coast Guard Struggles to Meet Recruitment Targets

The U.S. Coast Guard has fallen short of its recruitment targets for the fourth year in a row, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report, titled “Recruitment and Retention Challenges Persist,” reveals that the Coast Guard is currently 4,800 members short of its target total force. This shortfall includes the branch’s active duty, reserve, and civilian workforces.

Challenges in Recruitment and Retention

The GAO report highlights recruitment and retention issues within the Coast Guard’s cyberspace workforce, specialized forces, and marine inspectors. Factors contributing to these issues include competition with higher paying jobs in the private sector, limited opportunities for promotion, and long work hours. Quality of health care and housing costs are also cited as retention issues, particularly for personnel stationed in remote locations.

• Competition with higher paying jobs in the private sector
• Limited opportunities for promotion
• Long work hours
• Quality of health care
• Housing costs

The Department of Defense has failed to rely on quality data to set accurate housing allowance rates, resulting in a failure to adjust allowances to match fluctuating housing costs.

A Possible Solution

The Coast Guard is considering “part-time” service for its active-duty service members as a possible solution to its ongoing recruiting crisis. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan suggested the idea of shortening the time of active-duty service per week at a recent Brookings Institution event. Fagan warned earlier this year that the recruiting shortfall “threatens [the Coast Guard’s] readiness and ability to serve the American people.”

Recruiting Challenges Across the U.S. Armed Forces

The Coast Guard is not the only branch of the U.S. armed forces to miss its recruiting targets in recent years. The Army, Navy, and Air Force are projected to miss their fiscal year 2023 recruiting goals by 10,000, 6,000, and 3,400, respectively. The Marine Corps is the only branch expected to meet its target of 29,000 new enlistees.

Controversial Recruitment Tactics

In a controversial move, the U.S. Navy recently turned to an active-duty drag queen, Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, for help with recruitment. Kelley, who goes by the stage name Harpy Daniels and identifies as nonbinary, was tasked with being one of the Navy’s “Navy Digital Ambassadors.” The initiative aimed to explore the digital environment to reach a wide range of potential candidates for military recruitment. The move has been criticized by military veterans, including Navy SEAL Robert J. O’Neill, who was on the mission to kill Islamic terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Follow Staff Writer Shawn Fleetwood on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood.

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