Have you noticed fewer stories of activism and social justice in military recruitment ads lately? A few years ago, the U.S. military branches set out to make the armed forces more inclusive by promoting Pride Month, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and one branch even utilized active duty drag queens to encourage others to enlist.
These tactics, however, proved futile. Americans were not buying what the new recruitment advertisements were selling, and coupled with the more than 8,000 service members who were discharged for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, new enlistments have decreased dramatically.