With Few Able and Fewer Willing, U.S. Military Can't Find Recruits

[GregariousGroundhog]

31. Military Pay is actually pretty decent though

Someone would have to work 40 hours a week earning $9.77 an hour to exceed the base pay offered by the U.S. military. That increases to $11.85 at 6 months, $12.46 at 12 months, and $14.51 at 24 months. The military also covers housing and food on top of base pay though and so it a lot easier for a soldier to save and invest a significant portion of their salary than a civilian when we consider that a civilian is spending at least $5-6 an hour on food and rent. It's not inconceivable for a 22 year old who has spent four years in the military to have saved a quarter of their income and end up with $25,000 in their bank account.

Your comments about the frequent uprooting, rigid environment, strong need for self discipline and risk to life are all spot on though. Soldiers work until the job is done, and it may be in a desert or a jungle or snowfield half a world away. I doubt a pay boost will bring additional a significant number of people forward who are willing and capable of that kind of work.