Diversity a Key

Carter also stressed that recruiters would emphasize the atmosphere of tolerance and equal opportunity in the armed forces. In his speech at the George Washington University, he noted that the all-volunteer force has led to the services drawing new members from a much smaller portion of the U.S. population than in years past. The Pentagon brain trust wants to know what types of families send their sons and daughters to military service, and where they are from. “Our recruiting pool is … shrinking geographically, with more and more of our people coming from fewer and fewer states. At the same time, the military is starting to resemble something of a family business, which a willingness to sign up increasingly found disproportionately in those who have a parent, or a close relative, who served,” Carter said. While not necessarily bad, this trend could be symptomatic of “insularity,” he said.