On this July 4, every American should celebrate 248 years of an unbroken line of patriots who’ve bravely served our nation in order to secure and defend liberty and our freedom. Our family has proudly served that cause for four generations. My uncle served as a tailgunner on a B-17 in World War II. My father served as an Air Force Sergeant during the Korean War. My brother is a West Point graduate who served in the 101st Airborne during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and retired as a General. I proudly served as an Officer in the U.S. Army, and today, our son is a Naval Academy graduate serving as an Officer in the United States Navy.
My wife’s family also served in the great cause for freedom. Her father was a Lieutenant Colonel for Strategic Air Command, and her grandfather served in the United States Navy where he was stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He survived the attack and went on to become Chief of the Boat on his submarine. My wife also served as a civilian in the Department of Defense and was deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. During her service, she visited nearly every province in Iraq and narrowly escaped an IED attack while on a liaison mission.
The call to service of this great nation has always been answered by the Rogers family and it always will be.
The purpose of the military is to defend freedom and America’s vital national interests when called upon. It is the mission of federal policy makers to ensure that those who bravely serve are the best trained, best equipped, and most lethal fighting force on earth. At the Republican National Convention in Detroit in 1980, President Ronald Reagan said, “We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted.” In short, we achieve peace through strength.
We are seeing this all too much today as forces against freedom are on the march. Russia in Ukraine. Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and other Iranian- backed terrorists are lighting the Middle East on fire. China is threatening Taiwan and the Philippines in the Pacific. The world is presently a dangerous place.
The current state of recruiting into the armed forces should be a warning sign for federal policy makers during a time of heightened threats. In 2023, the United States military fell more than 41,000 recruits short of its goal, and five of the six reserve components also missed their recruiting targets. The Biden administration has yet to provide any answers and instead has sought to lower standards instead of addressing the root causes. Many potential recruits saw 8,000 members thrown out of the military for not taking COVID-19 shots, and the focus of military leadership drift to identity politics instead of military readiness. We must fix these problems.
We must reignite the cause of freedom across the country, give young Americans a military that is worth their service, and issue a call to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Ditch the social engineering and let them be a part of the most respected, best trained, and best equipped military in the world. Our security depends on it.
Mike Rogers is an Army veteran, former FBI Special Agent, and former seven-term Michigan Congressman who served as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, now running for U.S. Senate.