Parents are more likely to enroll their children in some sort of counseling or medical intervention for things like ADHD at rates that we didn't necessarily see 20 or 30 years ago. The fact that individuals have a medical history where perhaps they've been prescribed at all, and that can be disqualifying for military service as well. So it's challenging because on the one hand you do need individuals who are capable of meeting military requirements.
The US military faces its worst recruiting crisis since the draft ended in 1973. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth — aware of the military’s reputation of forever wars, veteran suicide, and sexual assault — is working to convince a new generation to enlist anyway.
This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Noel King.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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