One of the Marines' toughest targets isn't on the battlefield

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The Marine Corps touts itself as the few and the proud. Getting those few has never been harder, though.

Unlike other arms of the military, the Marines pride themselves on consistently hitting their enlistment goals. But that mission is becoming increasingly difficult despite an overall upswing in military recruitment.

From old-school methods feeling outdated to a dwindling birth rate, recruiters who are already stretched to the limit are facing more challenges, writes BI's Kelsey Baker.

It's the final installment in Kelsey's fascinating four-part investigation into the Marine Corps recruiting practices that are "burning Marines," according to one Great Plains sergeant. She spoke to nearly four dozen recruiters and officials and obtained documents from a Marine Corps investigation and two Marine Corps Inspector General reports.

Kelsey's reporting found Marine Corps recruiters face an unusual degree of depression, emotional stress, and elevated risks of divorce, with 15 apparent suicides between 2015 and 2024.

Some of the challenges Marine recruiters face will sound familiar to anyone in sales.

They have a quota (enlisting two people a month) and deal with frustrating tracking tools that can slow down the process (Military Health System Genesis).

It's one thing to try to get an executive to buy some software, but it's another convincing a high schooler to sign an enlistment contract.

The situation can even become hostile, with three recruiters telling Kelsey they had guns pulled on them when visiting homes of potential enlistees.

In some cases, the pressure to meet targets led recruiters to falsify records and forge signatures. It's an issue that didn't just impact the rank-and-file recruiters, but higher-ups in the Marine Corps, as well.

The Marine Corps told Kelsey in a statement that the overwhelming majority of recruiters complete their tours successfully. "We are not yet where we ultimately want to be," the service said. "But trends are undeniably moving in the right direction."

In the meantime, the military is getting creative with attracting enlistees. BI's Jake Gabbard observed US Army influencers at Fort Knox. You can watch the video here.

However, while the discourse primarily focuses on who is making weapons for the military, the real question is whether there will eventually be anyone left to operate them in the first place.