JOHNSTON, Iowa — The Iowa National Guard has been working to address recruiting shortfalls since the early days of the pandemic.
“In 2021, directly after COVID, we did see a reduction in our recruiting numbers," said Lt. Col. Joel Sage, who serves as the Recruiting Retention Battalion Commander.
2022 brought its own set of challenges as students began going back to school, but as 2023 comes to a close, the Iowa National Guard is turning a corner.
“We're encouraged in the direction that we're heading, and we're optimistic that we'll continue to see improvements," Sage said. “We realized that after COVID, a lot of people just didn't know who we were. So we've been very intentional about trying to get out, meet with people get out in front of people."
Sage said that while the force isn't at 100% strength yet, there's still time.
“We’re encouraged and optimistic that we can exceed that 100% threshold hopefully by the end of this year,” Sage said.
Young people in Iowa have many career paths to choose from, but benefits for National Guard members remain a key recruiting tactic.
“The biggest one that we hear about are the education incentives or benefit," Sage said. "We pay up to 100% tuition, depending on the school that you go to here in Iowa.”
This gives people the opportunity to serve while going to school or working full time.
Recent news out of the Pentagon revealed that the U.S. military is facing major recruitment struggles. The country is ending the year with its smallest active-duty force since 1940, according to government officials.
Adding to the issue, officials say that only 23 percent of young people between 17 and 24 even quality to join the military, and even fewer young people are expressing interest in enlisting.
While the Marine Corps and Space Force met their recruiting goals this fiscal year, the Army, Navy and Air Force all fell short – citing that young people have more career options due to a strong economy.
Sage also believes that Iowa is not experiencing some of the National Guard shortfalls that other states are due to strong patriotism in the state.