You are part of the national network of peace groups working to stop the militarization of schools and young people!

#NNOMYnews | Please Subscribe | Donate

NNOMYnews 1045: April 13 2020: Military Recruitment in Post Covid-19 America

As the Planet Earth confronts a global pandemic, the United States' Military Recruiting Commands adjust to the challenge of isolating their recruitment efforts to virtual military recruitment, now encouraged by the massive national unemployment reality in the country. While most of the citizenry hang on to an uncertain reality for their lives going forward in the remaining 2020 year, and maybe extending into 2021 as well, the Department of Defense takes advantage of the vulnerability of our youth as they try to find a place that can provide an income, health benefits, and even food. This is a perfect storm for the Military Industrial Complex that see's its fortunes expand while the civilian sectors retract into recession.

Army moves to 100% virtual recruiting as COVID-19 continues to spread

Haley Britzky / Task & Purpose -  The Army is shifting into virtual recruiting as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread around the U.S., resulting in teleworking and social distancing.  The news was announced on Friday by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, who told reporters that physical recruitment operations were closing "right now, as we speak."

"We are going to, basically, virtual recruiting," McConville said. "Much of that is done on social media, and that allows us to protect our soldiers, and also to protect the recruits."

Meanwhile, U.S. Army Recruiting Command officials were having a virtual town hall on Friday to discuss what that would look like, and what messaging recruiters need to focus on.  Maj. Gen. Frank Muth, commander of USAREC, told recruiters that the typical way to approach potential recruits by simply asking if they're interested in the Army won't work, and they instead need to focus on a message of unity.

"What we’ve got to say is, ‘We are in this together,'" Muth said. "We have 10,000 recruiters throughout the entire world, and we’re in it with them. We are in their communities ... This is a call to service, a call to action for all of them."

He suggested having FaceTime interviews with recruits; Brig. Gen. Patrick Michaelis, deputy commanding general of operations of USAREC, encouraged recruiters to "connect in unique ways" with potential soldiers, like through online gaming, something the Army has leaned into heavily over the last year.

Read More

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/virtual-army-recruiting-coronavirus

Army Reserve recruiters told to utilize 'this terrible event in our favor' to recruit more soldiers amid COVID-19 spread

Haley Britzky / Task & Purpose - Army recruiters with the 7th Battalion, Army Reserve Career Division, have been encouraged to take advantage of people being at home and potentially out of work because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) so they can bring in more soldiers, according to documents shared with Task & Purpose.

Lt. Col. Marcus Clonch, commander of the 7th BN ARCD, distributed best practices “while working around the Coronavirus” last week from the brigade commander.

“We probably should not be doing house calls, but if it is still working then go get them, but sanitize after visit,” an email on March 18 said. “We need to be just selling and closing the deal over the phone and utilizing this terrible event in our favor as to why one should want to remain or return to the [U.S. Army Reserve] for the supplemental income and insurance.”

He added that for soldiers working from home, there's "more time to work based on commute time saved."

"The good news is everything is closed, if not already it soon will be, so nothing else to do but work, stay fit and resilient and in some cases spend more time with the family," he said.

Neither Clonch nor the battalion's public affairs have responded to request for comment from Task & Purpose.

Read More

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-reserve-recruiters-coronavi

National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service Releases Final Report to Congress and the President

“Service is a fundamental part of who we are as Americans, and how we meet our challenges,” said Chairman Joe Heck. “Inspired to Serve offers a bold vision and comprehensive plan to strengthen all forms of service to address domestic and security needs, invigorate civil society, and strengthen our democracy.”

After two-and-a-half years of research, public hearings, and conversations with Americans across the country, the Commission’s final report contains 164 recommendations addressing civic education, the federal workforce, national service programs, military service, and the selective service system.

Read More

https://inspire2serve.gov/news-events/national-commission-military-national-and-public-service-releases-final-report-congress

Statement from Rep. DeFazio on the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service’s Recommendation for Women to Register for the Draft

Rep. DeFazio released the following statement in response to the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service’s release of its Final Report on the Selective Service System (SSS), which recommends that women aged 18-25 should also register for the military draft:

“The Commission’s recommendation to force even more young Americans to register for the military draft is merely an extension of an unjust and unnecessary policy.

"No young person, regardless of gender, should be subject to a military draft or be forced to register for a draft in the United States. The military draft registration system is an unnecessary, wasteful bureaucracy which unconstitutionally violates Americans’ civil liberties and unfairly subjects individuals who fail to register for the draft to unnecessarily severe, lifelong penalties – penalties which disproportionately affect low-income Americans. Adding women to the draft will only double the amount of Americans who are subjected to this arcane practice.

Read More

https://defazio.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/statement-from-rep-defazio-on-the-national-commission-on-military

De-Militarize CPS: Education Not Militarization!

Chicago Public Schools are the most militarized in the nation. Over 8,000 youth are in some form of military training. JROTC for high school age and Cadets for middle school age. In addition to in school programs, CPS has six full time, full blown military high schools (combat battle dress and all) and one full time, full blown military middle school.

Source: De-militarize CPS

For Black Youth,  Poverty Is the New Draft | Watch the Video

https://youtu.be/MG2GbRW0AcE

Please don't equate our struggle with Covid-19 with war

Please don't equate our struggle with Covid-19 with war.  Most Americans still don't understand that war is always unwinnable, futile, and wrong.  Even V.F.P members sometimes find it hard to get past the national mythology about military adventure, but we can see the Pentagon is no more prepared than the Boy Scouts to end our mysterious pandemic.  There's neither time nor room for gloating, but we have tried hard to teach the establishment that our country's security depends upon the strength of our domestic infrastructure and social services, not our staggering array of foolish doomsday weapons.​

As we find our individual roles in surviving the pandemic and become more physically isolated, I hope you find a little hope and solidarity in our chapter newsletter.   Perhaps you'll want to contribute some content.  
 
Rusty Nelson, President, Veterans for Peace #035

https://www.facebook.com/veteransforpeace35/

Looking Back at the Bush Era NNOMY:

It was a different era when there was still public mobilizations against Bush wars and their adopting of a U.S. foreign policy of preemptive engagement. In the outrage of a rapidly changing and rapacious Pentagon Strategy including the revelation of a policy of Full Spectrum Dominance, activists took to the proactive action of adding a Truth in Recruitment discourse into public high schools contravening against the No Child Left Behind insertion of military recruiters while disallowing school districts much discretion without risking losing their federal education funding. Looking back at the NNOMY Counter-recruitment Directory, we pay tribute to those activists that stood, and those remaining who still struggle, for an outreach for peaceful alternatives for our youth against the enormous resources of the Department of Defense and their recruitment budget and their invasive military recruiters in our public high schools.

Here are the groups we had in 2005

http://nnomy.org/en/content_page/432-cr-directory.html?limit=200&orderby=alpha&cc=p

Please Donate to fund counter-recruitment nationally

Help Fund NNOMY to De-Militarize Schools. Your donation to NNOMY supports the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth's efforts to balance the message of military recruiters in our public schools where minors are routinely primed for recruitment through Department of Defense school programs designed for youth.

Making a financial contribution supports NNOMY's national demilitarization work with activist organizations inside middle and high schools.

Click to Make Your Donation

(Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.) through our fiscal sponsor Alliance for Global Justice. Make sure you select from the causes list, The National Network Opposing he Militarization of Youth (NNOMY), or make a check out to:"NNOMY/AFGJ" and mail it to: AFGJ, 225 E. 26th St. Suite 1, Tucson, AZ 85713