The Pentagon has rolled out a new joint national marketing campaign aimed at boosting recruitment for the services. It approaches the topic from a different angle—a potential recruit’s parents. Eschewing raw appeals to advancement and patriotism that have long been staples of military recruitment offices, the multimedia campaign focuses on the dialogue parents and children have when the topic of military service arises. “We find that many parents are not informed about what the military is really about,” said Air Force Maj. Rene Stockwell, the program’s chief of joint advertising. Trying to deflate the perception that most people are going to serve in combat, the campaign offers information on a new Web site that illustrates the wide range of jobs, educational opportunities, and roles of the military services.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
