[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Its the whimpification factor. Back in the day, they recruited people by promising them the opportunity to blow sh!t up, ride tanks and helicopters, and kill bad guys.

Now all the commercials show the military putting our forest fires and delivering aid. If you were a 19 year old guy, which would you find more enticing?

In a way it explains why they all stay home and play call of duty. They can simulate the cool parts without getting up off the couch.

[Future Snake Eater]

From what I read, marketing research found the opposite. Potential recruits liked the badassery, but they wanted to be a part of some kind of “force for good” for lack of a better term. Hence the focus in the recruiting commercials for the Navy and Marine Corps.

Army recruiting is almost always lame (”come play some golf with us...it’s like any other job, bro!”).