We Don’t Want You, uncle saM
Examining the military recruiting crisis with generation z
“We Don’t Want You, Uncle Sam.”
This is what Generation Z is saying with respect to military service.
The all-volunteer force that has served our country well for more than 50 years is at a critical inflection point. Today, recruiters are struggling to bring enough Zoomers into the armed services. Mismatched fundamental ideals, divergent beliefs about the workplace, and other sociocultural influences have contributed to the United States military scrambling to get a grasp on how to appeal to Gen Z.
Through the use of personal life stories and macro analysis, this book explains why military recruiting in the United States is at an all-time low in order to suggest ways that American society and its leaders can fix this issue. We must rebuild the value proposition of military service by demonstrating the benefits of the world’s greatest physical social network.
“The U.S. military is in the throes of a sustained recruiting and retention crisis. Sustaining a viable force will require fresh thinking and innovative proposals. In this brilliant and timely book, Matthew Weiss offers an abundance of both.”
— Andrew Bacevich, Chairman and Co-Founder, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
“We Don’t Want You, Uncle Sam" is an impeccably researched and thoughtful guide not just for military leaders, but for leaders of all institutions seeking to understand and engage an inspired generation and repair our nation's divides.”
— John Della Volpe, Director of Polling, Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics
“…To both understand and rectify the problem, Weiss paints a fascinating portrait of a chronically misunderstood generation, one that is fiercely competitive and driven by a desire to make a unique, impactful difference…the author draws a bevy of practical conclusions about what successful recruitment would look like and how the military should refashion itself to be more appealing…”
— Kirkus Reviews
About Matthew weiss
Second Lieutenant Matthew Weiss is a Signals Intelligence/Electronic Warfare Officer in the United States Marine Corps. Previously, he worked in mergers and acquisitions at a cutting-edge defense technology company. He holds a BS and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Most importantly, he is a member of Generation Z who cares deeply about solving this issue of service.
The views presented are not necessarily representative of the Department of Defense.
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