If there’s one thing a powerful country needs, it’s a powerful military to keep would-be’s from trying their luck.

The United States has long been a bastion of strength around the world. Whether or not you think they use the military power for good or ill depends on who you ask, but there’s no disputing the fact that the US armed forces are extraordinary in scope and funding. Of course, none of that funding trickles down to the grunts, but that’s a story for another day.

In recent years, military recruitment has declined sharply. The Army, for instance, is only 52% of the way to its recruiting goal for the fiscal year, which ends September 30. That means they’ll face a shortfall of thousands of necessary troops.

But the real question is – why?

The pandemic is a contributing factor, certainly. Face-to-face recruiting dropped to almost nothing during the pandemic, and fewer people qualified physically.

But there’s more to it and some blame it on the “woke” agenda that’s pervasive in the US right now. That includes the idea that the military is “evil” and harmful and that upper institutions in the government work against the best interests of the people.

A Gallup poll asked people how much faith they have in the military. In 2022, the percentage of people who have faith in the military was at 64%, which sounds great. Until you realize that for 2021, that number was 69%. A 5% drop in confidence in a single year is a worrying sign for recruiters.

Many worry that a “woke” agenda pushing a lack of confidence in the military is driving people away, despite record-high bonuses and enlistment perks.

Right now, it’s an academic problem. But it could become a real problem very, very soon, as China has been making aggressive postures. And while Russia is otherwise engaged with Ukraine, there are plenty of countries around the world happy to break their teeth on the United States’ powerful army – especially if it looks to be less powerful soon.