Daniel Davis, a retired Lt. Col. with a distinguished military career that includes four combat deployments and two Bronze Star awards over 21 years in the Army, now serves as a senior fellow at Defense Priorities, a prominent foreign policy think tank.
During the Biden administration, Davis observed a decline in military recruitment, attributing it to the perception that the military had become politicized and “woke.” He noted that many potential recruits expressed a lack of trust in the top military leadership in Washington, viewing them as more focused on political agendas than national defense.
According to Davis, this erosion of trust was a significant factor causing both new recruits and seasoned veterans like himself to discourage others from joining the military. The prevailing sentiment among many service members, including Davis, was a reluctance to recommend military service under the current leadership and administration due to a perceived lack of trust in their intentions and priorities.
But with Trump in office, Davis thinks the pendulum is swinging in the other direction.
“Trump said he brought [Secretary of Defense Pete] Hegseth in to bring back the warrior culture, to bring back accountability and merit promotions, etc., as opposed to any quotas or criteria, and that really appealed to all those folks that were not signing up,” David said, adding that Trump is viewed as more “pro-America” and more “pro-service member” than his predecessor.
President Donald Trump speaks next to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, April 30, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo)
He also said Trump appeals to potential military members because of his promise not to enter the United States into what he calls “stupid wars.”
“And he says he doesn’t want to get into stupid wars. He wants to get the one in Russia over with,” said Davis, cautioning that it is still too early in Trump’s second term to know exactly how his foreign policy positions will play out.
“But as long as Trump stays on this path of bringing peace and not sending people out to fight dumb wars, then I think you’ll see the numbers keep rising.”
