Women are the largest group of Gen Z that can and should be recruited more into the military to boost current lagging numbers.

Solution: Establish the HER Initiative by honoring gender differences, eradicating sexual assault, and relaxing female-specific social constraints.

Before I delve into this critical discussion about women in the military, I want to recognize that conversations on identity and beliefs are often sensitive. As a straight white male, I bring my own biases and blind spots to this analysis. However, most of the military consists of straight white males, and we should all be encouraged to share our thoughts and ideas openly and democratically. These thoughts shouldn't be tempered at all for the risk of offending someone or hurting feelings. They should have the utmost respect for fundamental human rights and fellow-human emotions. Still, we shouldn't be so afraid in modern times to have painful, "politically incorrect" discussions, that we fail to reach the best outcomes for all. In order for our society and our institution to function, we must be able to talk about groups that we aren’t a part of without being shouted down. Gen Z is much more realistic than the idealistic millennials, and our collective pessimism makes us want to engage in challenging conversations, even if they sting a little.

Another thing to clarify is the difficult job of toeing the line that recruitment organizations will have to do as we push the military forward. Just because, on average, Zoomers lean more in one direction or have newer ideas about societal constructs than older generations, it doesn't mean that the entire Generation Z is a monolith. If too much change is pushed too quickly, there is a risk of alienating many of the groups of thinkers who were past mainstays of the recruiting pool. Striking a balance and doing everything in moderation are the best way. These changes and discussions must happen often, in public, and be positively tempered to reach optimality for total force numbers, abilities, and ultimately lethality…

Matthew Weiss is currently an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. His book, “We Don’t Want You, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z” is available on amazon in paperback, e-book, and audiobook format.