The National Guard lost about 7,500 members over the past year, and membership could dwindle even more due to potential future discharges of up to 14,000 soldiers amid the U.S. military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to reports.
The total annual loss of some 7,500 members is due to higher numbers of soldiers retiring or leaving the National Guard compared to those coming in, officials told The Associated Press. They have cited challenges in recruiting, as well as how more soldiers are deciding not to reenlist when their tour concludes.
Army National Guard chief of staff Maj. Gen. Rich Baldwin told AP that the current staffing challenges are the worst he has witnessed in the past 20 years.
Both the Army National Guard and Air National Guard have fallen short of their targets for the total number of service members in the fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30. The Army National Guard missed its total goal of 336,000 by about 2 percent, and the Air National Guard missed its total goal of 108,300 by nearly 3 percent, Baldwin said.
While the current impact on the National Guard’s readiness is “minimal and manageable,” if recruiting and retention challenges cannot be solved, “we will see readiness issues related to strength begin to emerge within our units within the next year or two,” he told the news agency.