Recruitment in the military is a big thing and its important that the best of us make their way into public service. You can read about some of those problems in Smaller Eligible Populations. That of course doesn't need to be that way but people are not as exposed as they once were with the military lifestyle and there is a level of conceptual blending between the political process and military perception. It would seem that way but you have to understand how people process conversation to create brand. Trust in Institutions Declines.
Fixing the recruitment problems may require a greater commitment by our political class to lessen the woke/anti-woke rhetoric that often comes from self-interested politics and move more into higher levels of understanding of human nature and good governance. We want as many different kinds of people from as many different backgrounds as we can to enhance the recruitment pool of our armed forces. That is important for keeping the military fitted with society's best.
People are not always treated fair in life and they are not coming to the table with the same backgrounds because of things that range from poverty to poor schools. Its a major human capital problem we haven't resolved (blame both sides). We also know that there are also bigotries out there and that does block people from opportunities they are more than qualified to handle. (Another thing we don't want to recognize because of politics. I've seen it, lived and know it.).
Read this study and see how once someone earns a position through hard work, knowledge, and performance they are more likely to succeed throughout the rest of the program. That occurs because everyone on the team and those who pass know they earned it and thus they have ever much of a right to be there as anyone else (The metric was the same). Whether someone needs to take the test 1X or 10X doesn't really matter (unless someone has another study that says something different)
According to a study on 16K+ US Coast Guard (USCG) recruits between 2013 to 2021 who retested and passed qualifications were just as likely as those who did not need a retest to make it through their training. It also found that those who were given wavers were less likely to make it through training programs and spent much more time on remedial training. US Coast Guard Qualifications Test Study
Here is my suggestion. Feel free to discard quickly because its not a blind button pressing argument.
Let people prepare for these exams, let them study, when they fail give them feedback, give them materials, and encourage them to stay connected until they do pass. Recognize that some don't have the backgrounds and it is no fault of their own. It is the fault of those who haven't corrected our human capital problems and those who can't for one reasons or another see the big picture.
Once they made it, they made it, and they made it through achievement they can be proud of because it is their own. Their confidence rises. I encourage our youth to join the military services and recognize that there is a difference between political rhetoric and the needs of our nation. If you are diligent you can pass these tests and you can make it. Let not the nay sayers stop or discourage you!
McNeish, D., Dumas, D., Dong, Y., & Duellberg, D. (2024). Promoting inclusive recruiting and selection into military training schools: Admission waivers versus retesting. Journal of Applied Psychology, 109(3), 415–436. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001147
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