The Scuttlebutt | Season 7 Episode 18
The Navy is the second largest branch of the military, employing over 300,000 personnel every year. Last year (FY 2022) The Navy barely met its recruiting goal of 34,300 enlistees prompting the branch to raise the enlistment age to 41. With recent numbers suggesting that 77% of 17 – 21 year olds are ineligible to join due to a number of factors, how does the Navy maintain its force numbers? Where does it find talent? And more importantly, who is on the front lines engaging and educating American communities to find and nurture these recruits?
Joining The Scuttlebutt this week to talk about enlisting in the Navy are NTAG Officer Programs Officer & Outreach Coordinator LT Jade L. L. “Cool J” Reaves and Master at Arms, Coral Rodriguez. Both chose to join the military with very different desires for their service. Jade had a passion for flying. Coral wanted to get out of her neighborhood. Now they work together to discover talent apart of NTAG. The Navy Talent Acquisition Group performs outreach in communities to find the next generation of Navy recruits. Along with hearing about Jade and Coral’s history of service, we gain an understanding of the special skills required to be a Navy recruiter. What common questions do they get about the Navy and what misconceptions do they hear the most? (Does a Seaman need to know how to swim?)
Education is a large component of their work. Not only does it enlighten the civilian population to what the Navy has to offer but it helps to bridge the military/civilian divide, a barrier considered to be one of the biggest detractors to joining the military.
To read about Navy Recruiting Commands Mission Results for Fiscal Year 2022 and their Goals for 2023 CLICK HERE.
For more information about joining the Navy see the links below:
Navy – https://www.navy.mil/
Are you looking to join the Navy? – http://bit.ly/3QY91sE
