A strong military is important for America’s national defense. The men and women who serve in uniform protect the United States in a multitude of ways that many people don’t even think of.
Therefore, it goes without saying that issues within the US military can ripple out across the country with serious effects. This is especially true when morale is low amongst a sizable number of servicemembers.
Unfortunately, this seems to be a key issue the US Navy is stuck with. According to Newsmax, the Navy has seen a massive uptick in deserters over the past few years, speaking to an underlying problem altogether.
What’s Going on With the US Navy?
In 2019, when former President Trump was in office, only 63 servicemembers fled the US Navy. In 2020, Trump’s final full year in the White House, the number slightly increased to 98 instances of servicemembers fleeing.
However, in 2021, when Biden became the commander in chief, the number of Navy deserters increased exponentially to 157.
Stephanie Kral, an ex-JAG officer, has provided some insight into what could be factoring into servicemembers fleeing the Navy. Mental health, when it becomes an issue, doesn’t automatically allow men and women serving to land an honorable discharge.
The threads that hold America together are coming apart since Biden was installed as the puppet president. Morality, patriotism, financial security, law and order all going to hell. https://t.co/OfekecZCFp
— Rich Noble (@TripleWideLoad) May 23, 2022
Instead, the Navy is supposed to provide mental health care and support within the service, then get its troops back to work. However, Kral warns the way this is supposed to happen and how it often happens are not always the same.
In light of this massive upswing in deserters, the military is being advised to put more reforms in place so that servicemembers don’t feel their only way out of bad situations is simply to desert the US military altogether.
Military deserters can be hit with a series of penalties, ranging from jail time to losing pay and/or benefits, along with facing dishonorable discharge.
COVID Vaccine Mandates
Last year, Joe Biden and the higher-ups in the US military aggressively worked to push COVID vaccines on servicemembers.
These mandates were put into place, notwithstanding COVID vaccines’ inability to stop the spread of the virus or even prevent infections within recipients.
A U.S. destroyer can’t deploy because the commanding officer won’t get COVID vaccine and is continuing his lawsuit challenging Biden's military mandate. Given what we know now about the shot, why hasn't Biden lifted the mandate?
— GreatAmericanMail (@mail_american) March 9, 2022
Many servicemembers across all branches expressed issues with being mandated to take this vaccine. Some even reached out to US lawmakers for support.
All things considered, this could have also played a role in the uptick of Navy deserters that’s been witnessed since 2019 and 2020.
Critics have slammed Biden for taking a cavalier attitude with the military and threatening those who refuse his COVID vaccine mandate with various penalties.
What do you think is driving members of the US Navy to simply desert the military altogether? In the comments area below, share your thoughts about this trend and what can be done to fix it.
