Why is this subject, “Military Culture Shift,” important in the world?
Known for its comradery and sense of selfless service, the community has always offered impressive career opportunities and a cohesive community for the family to thrive in. Yet, the military culture is now facing a recruitment and retention crisis as the community wrestles with the exhaustion and burnout of two decades of global conflict, the pandemic, a discouraging exit from Afghanistan, and the clash of generational perspectives as Gen Z enters.
With recruitment being the lowest since switching to an all-volunteer force more than 50 years ago, America’s sons and daughters may face a draft if no resolution is found. While news and media report that the issue stems from Gen Z’s mental and physical disqualifications or that the military has been overly influenced by politics, there are many variables that have compounded over time including America’s disconnect with those that serve on their behalf and the burnout of service members and their families after two decades of global conflict.
In 1995, 40 percent of youth said they knew of a family member that served. By 2017, only 15 percent knew someone serving, and as of 2022, only 1 percent of the American population was and is actively serving. America, once full of patriotism and sharing the responsibility and cost of protecting the nation, has become more divided than ever while growing more distrustful of institutions such as the government and the military. This year, all military branches will either barely reach or not reach their recruitment goals at all, resulting in a slimmed-down force, while conflict in the Middle East and rising tensions with other foreign adversaries require a ready, willing, capable, and responsive force.
Additionally, service members and their families are in need of rest and reconstitution after two decades of global conflict. Many of them thought the war would end with peacetime. Instead, training and military separations escalated as the Department of Defense focused on a rapid response force ready to deter foreign adversaries. This has added even more concern for retention issues as Millennials and Gen X leave the military in search of stability in the civilian community, many discouraging their Gen Z military kids from continuing in military service.
What is the pressing issue right and how are you addressing it?
As tensions escalate in the Middle East and cyber warfare changes the dynamics of war, there will be a continued need for a ready and capable force. With America’s growing distrust of institutions, people more divided than aligned on core values, and younger generations less willing to serve, the current cohort of service members and their families will continue to carry the burden of a less-than-grateful nation. The result is a retention and recruiting crisis that both the DOD and the nation will not be able to ignore.
As a clinical consultant, I have helped service organizations in their development of programming that makes a lasting impact in the lives of military families. Internally, I have enjoyed empowering leaders to bridge the communication gap between generations and understanding shifting trends in views of authority and trust. My new book, Military Culture Shift, pulls together 15 years of qualitative research and curated data to help leaders (military, policymakers, and civilians) better understand those they are leading by hearing their generational story, their expectations for military life, and their values for work and family.
Corie Weathers Biography
What is your background in this subject?
I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) by trade and have focused my career for the last 20 years on marriage, the military culture, special forces, and leadership development. Now a sought-after speaker, consultant, and award-winning author, I have traveled internationally to visit troops and report on deployment conditions, taught service families across the globe, and consult organizations and institutions on building trust, creating impactful programming, working within a multi-generational team, and served as a subject matter expert on military culture. I have participated in Second Lady Karen Pence’s Military Spouse’s Employment Working Group, contributed to the passing of a Congressional Bill for licensure portability, and regularly consult with military leaders on raising the quality of life and morale within the military culture.
Over the past 15 years, I have been tracking some of the biggest shifts and trends that have impacted the military community through working with service members and their families in confidential counseling sessions and training events or consulting military leaders on leadership development. My experience has given me access to the state of morale and internal climate of the force I work and live in.
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
I was a music major in college and played Sandy in Grease. I love music and the arts. I decided to learn the cello at 44 years old. Now, two years in, I am still determined to learn this instrument and learn to play as well as I have always dreamed.
What are your passions outside of your career?
I have a wonderful family of a husband and two boys, one in college at Texas A&M and the other a junior in high school. My husband, an active-duty Army Chaplain, has been an incredible source of support and friendship. As a military family that relocates frequently, your immediate family becomes everything- your friends, your cheerleaders, and also your “safe place” from the world. I want nothing more than to succeed in my family’s eyes, first and foremost. When I’m not spending time with them, I love to practice my cello, be in nature to reset my soul and go for morning runs.
Are there any social causes that you believe in and support?
I am a humanitarian at heart. It physically hurts me to see others hurting. I am for people in general- their healing, their restoration, and their victory. I believe that is why I care so deeply for the “warrior culture.” They are an incredibly giving and selfless community. They deserve respite and restoration from the nation that sent them on their behalf. To see them burned out, grieving those they’ve lost, as well as the sacrifices accumulated in their marriage and family, I am passionate about them not experiencing the pain that our Vietnam Veterans experienced.
What is next for you?
With Military Culture Shift coming out, I look forward to military leaders and military schoolhouses using the book as a cultural analysis for our future leaders. I plan to continue consulting on the quality of life within the military culture as well as engaging in conversation with our political leaders on how Congress can play a crucial role in restoring the military community and their trust in government. I also plan to focus next year on my own personal wellness goals as I’ve encouraged so many others to do.
Military Culture Shift
Tell me about your book.
Military Culture Shift: The Impact of War, Money, and Generational Perspective on Morale, Retention, and Leadership tells the story of US military service members, their families, and the institution itself through the lens of multiple generations and the major factors impacting modern-day recruitment, retention, leadership, and wellness. I also share generational viewpoints, from World War I veterans to today’s recruits (Gen Z), the short- and long-term impact of Department of Defense budget decisions, emerging social trends within the military community, especially post-9/11, and the cumulative effect of two decades of war on military family wellness.
My hope is that leaders will read and better understand the complexity of past decisions that have led to the current state, will feel empowered in leading multi-generational teams with various motivations and learning styles, and will engage in dialogue that will result in positive strategies to shift the culture’s morale and recruitment crisis.
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Where can people buy the book?
My website (www.corieweathers.com) also offers supplemental resources that go with the book including, charts, resources mentioned in the book, and a new limited series leadership podcast called Military Culture Shift Podcast that will bring discussions from the book to life.
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