After Falling Short, U.S. Army Gets Creative With New Recruiting Strategy

New Army recruits take part in a swearing-in ceremony on June 4, 2017, in San Diego

Gregory Bull / AP

Uncle Sam may want Generation Z, but the feeling doesn’t seem to be mutual.

That’s the conclusion recruiters relayed to General Frank Muth, the head of Army Recruiting Command, last July when he spoke with them to figure out why the Army fell short of its recruiting goal by 6,500 people in the last fiscal year.

In an effort to ramp up recruitment, the Army this year is trying something different.