For most presidents, major cultural change in our nation’s armed forces doesn’t happen overnight. It usually takes years for a commander in chief to leave a mark on the military. But President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are accomplishing what often takes years in a matter of weeks. This administration’s undoing of Biden-era distractions and the refocusing of the Pentagon on lethality are moving at breakneck pace. Those of us who have served in our nation’s military couldn’t be more thankful.
Even those unfamiliar with military culture can notice a stark difference in the style and tone of the Army’s recruitment ads since Jan. 20. One recent Army ad features a soldier in the gym effortlessly deadlifting 500 pounds and declaring to the camera, “Stronger people are harder to kill.” The ad underscores Mr. Trump’s and Mr. Hegseth’s emphasis on keeping our military the most lethal and effective fighting force on the planet. Social media posts from major military units echo the same message. A recent 82nd Airborne Division video showed a paratrooper firing a heavy machine gun accompanied by the caption, “We will fight. We will win. We will prevail.”
Consider the stark contrast between the military recruitment ads today and those from the Biden era. One of the most famous ads of President Biden’s term showcased an Army officer named Emma marching in an LGBTQ pride parade. Though the cartoon ad had much to do with Emma’s journey of sexual identity, it had little to do with our military’s core mission: to deter, fight and win our nation’s wars.
This sea change in advertising style isn’t merely about aesthetics; it signals to the world that our military is serious and prepared to fight. It also signals to potential recruits that service in our military no longer means 11-week diversity, equity and inclusion training programs or lessons on climate change. That’s why I expect the impact of this new direction to lead to historic increases in military recruitment. Young Americans will respond to the call for a combat-focused military, and recruitment numbers are already climbing.
Data from recent months shows the Army experiencing its best recruiting numbers in over a decade. In December, about 350 soldiers enlisted daily, marking a 15-year high in Army recruitment. Of course, these aren’t just numbers. They are the expected outcome of a change of leadership that prioritizes combat readiness and military strength over social agendas.
Of course, former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth — the Biden appointee who oversaw the lowest recruitment numbers in 50 years — claims that the upward trend in recruitment began on her watch. But even more interesting than when she claims the trend started is why she claims the trend started. Ms. Wormuth acknowledged that a last-minute course correction in the tone of recruitment ads made a difference in recruitment: “If you look at our Army ads, we show young people, you know, jumping out of helicopters. We show kids doing, you know, night patrols in the jungle.” In other words, young recruits don’t join the military to march in pride parades; they join to kill bad guys on behalf of their country. Mr. Trump and Mr. Hegseth understand this. And, unlike their predecessors, it didn’t take them four years to figure it out.
Under Mr. Trump and Mr. Hegseth, the Pentagon is undergoing a profound cultural realignment. The focus on lethality is geared toward one clear objective: to make the U.S. military the most formidable force for national defense. In this new era, our military is back to its roots, and this return to its original mission is good for our armed forces and vital for our national security.