The U.S. Army failed for the first time in more than a decade to meet its recruitment goal. It’s reportedly aiming to expand its ranks to more than 500,000 in the next four years and was unable to meet its fiscal year target to recruit new soldiers. So it’s turning to one of the most popular games on the planet to help with recruiting new soldiers.
Independent military newspaper Stars and Stripes reports that the U.S. Army is calling on active duty troops and reservists to take part in esports tournaments for Fortnite. Teams are also being put together which will compete in tournaments for other popular titles such as Madden, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Call of Duty.
The Army is reportedly looking to further promote its brand by having personnel compete in these tournaments in a bid to connect with young players who may be interested and also eligible to join the military.
The military has noticed that many prospects are resistant to the conventional recruiting techniques which include phone calls. So this idea has been developed to meet with the younger generation in what’s essentially a digital format.
The Military Gaming League is an esports organization that has worked with the military before. It’s exclusively for veterans and servicemembers. It helped sponsor a qualifier in a Street Fighter V championship which was hosted by the Army Installation Management Command at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., earlier this year.