We may not feel we are at war so nobody cares, but indeed we really are fighting a battle already.

Solution: The end goal has to be to make national service the desired norm among Zers.

The time has come to be bluntly honest about our current situation. This recruiting crisis shows that America's all-volunteer force cannot continue to operate successfully if some change doesn't occur. We may not feel we are at war now, so nobody cares, but we are already fighting a battle. Our largest competitor, China, threatens us more every day. On February 2nd, 2023, it was announced that a Chinese spy balloon was flying over the continental US.[1] While the instant hysteria this caused in the media wasn't as pronounced as the Sputnik moment with the Soviets, it created enough fear to get the public thinking. Some began to wonder what would happen if thousands of these balloons appeared over our cities one day…potentially carrying lethal munitions. Instead, the better question concerns the current manpower shortages we face. The military is ready to defend the U.S. homeland if and only if it has the necessary troops to do so. Most young Zers and probably Americans, in general, believe a war scenario involving the US homeland is ludicrous. Unfortunately, this thinking is dangerous for a superpower like America. The United Kingdom, an empire the sun never set on, was surprise-attacked by Nazi Germany in WWII. Luckily, its citizens sprang into action and thankfully had enough fighter pilots to defend the skies of London. China vs. us already presents a brutal equation when it comes to numbers. A tragic attack like 9/11 shouldn't be the wake-up call needed that encourages Zers to serve. 

[1] Liebermann, Oren, Haley Britzky, Michael Conte, and Nectar Gan. “Pentagon Tracking Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon over the US | CNN Politics.” CNN. Cable News Network, February 3, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/02/politics/us-tracking-china-spy-balloon/index.html.