U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person and virtual Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of...
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El senador estadounidense Marco Rubio (R-FL) emitió el siguiente comunicado sobre la toma de posesión del presidente panameño José Mulino: “A principios de este año, tras un proceso electoral pacífico y democrático, el pueblo de Panamá eligió al Presidente José...
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Each year, the U.S. Department of State releases to Congress its International Religious Freedom Report. This report highlights the status of religious freedom in countries worldwide. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement regarding the release...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person and virtual Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of...
How to fix the military recruitment crisis
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
January 25, 2024
The U.S. armed forces missed their annual recruitment goals by 41,000 people last year…. [T]o restore people’s confidence, we need to understand why they lost it. This requires facing three difficult truths about our country’s recent history.
The first truth is that mission creep in the Middle East did major damage to American morale…. The second truth we need to face is that, for years, our government has provided service members with an unsuitable quality of life…. The third truth we must understand is how politics is turning young people away from the military….
[In response], we must increase the quality of life of the armed forces and their veterans. This means addressing lackluster housing, child care, and salaries. It also means faithfully executing laws such as my VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act and the bipartisan Honoring our PACT Act….
In addition, we must eliminate polarizing politics from the military. Through the 2024 annual defense bill, Congress froze hires and capped salaries for the Pentagon’s diversity, equity, and inclusion program. We need more such measures….
Finally, we must remind people of our military’s value to the national interest [by] communicating the stakes of the current moment. Today, American ships are under attack from…Iranian-backed militias…. Terrorist cells are poised to strike at our heartland. Russia has launched the largest European land conflict since 1945. Above all, there is the threat of communist China….
Policymakers have a duty to convey a sense of urgency to young people and convince them that lessons have been learned. Without new recruits, the chance that the 21st century will be another American century is very slim indeed.