Is it time for an American Foreign Legion?

For the past few years, the U.S. military has had difficulty filling its ranks. Due to recruiting challenges, the Army is now the smallest it has been since 1940.

For those interested in joining the military, all are required to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), which is a standardized test that helps to determine whether one is qualified to join. Additionally, the ASVAB helps to identify which military careers would be a good fit for potential recruits.

Unfortunately, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the push for more remote learning, ASVAB scores have plummeted which has negatively affected the military’s ability to meet it recruiting targets.

To make matters worse, youth obesity has risen and so has drug use. Missouri voters, for instance, legalized recreational marijuana via ballot initiative in 2022. Despite its legality at the state level, marijuana use disqualifies applicants from joining the military.

In short, young people in America are more mentally and physically unfit to serve in the military than at any other point in recent memory. Today, only 23% are qualified to enlist — and among those that are eligible, few view the prospects of a military career as appealing.

Despite offers of big bonuses, most of today’s youth are not interested in military service. This year, for the first time, the majority of young Americans report that they have never even considered joining the military.

A possible solution to this recruitment problem could be allowing foreigners to enlist, which is a model that many countries have successfully adopted.

The “Légion étrangère” — or French Foreign Legion — is arguably the world’s most famous foreign legion. It was created in 1831, and since its formation, legionnaires born in more than 140 countries have fought under the French flag in a variety of conflicts throughout the world, including those in Afghanistan and in the Sahel region of Africa.

French legionnaires are often among the first French troops sent into a dangerous environment. Yet each year, volunteers still travel to France in hopes of enlisting. Many Americans have served in the French Foreign Legion, including Peter Ortiz who later joined the U.S. Marine Corps and today is recognized as one of the most decorated Marines of World War II.

Part of the appeal of joining the French Foreign Legion is that a legionnaire can apply to become a French citizen after only three years of service. Additionally, anyone wounded in action is “Français par le sang versé” — or “French by spilled blood” — and can immediately apply for French citizenship.

Many countries have taken a page from France’s playbook by allowing foreigners to serve in their armed forces. For example, in 1920, Spain founded its own foreign legion.

After Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a Ukrainian foreign legion was established. Many U.S. citizens have joined.

What is the difference between nationalism and patriotism?

Some countries do not have a separate foreign legion, but still allow foreigners to enlist. For instance, citizens of the European Union can join the Irish Defence Forces, and citizens of the Commonwealth can join the British Army. Starting next month, Americans, Brits, Canadians, and New Zealanders will be able to join the Australian Defence Force, which has been experiencing its own recruiting shortfall.

As of last year, there were more than 10 million undocumented immigrants in America. President-elect Donald Trump has promised that on his first day back in office, he will launch “the largest deportation program” in U.S. history.

State lawmakers are also looking at ways to crackdown. For example, incoming state Sen. David Gregory, a Republican from St. Louis County, has proposed paying a $1,000 bounty to those that help to find and detain undocumented immigrants in the state.

Of the millions of undocumented immigrants currently residing in the U.S., I wonder how many could do well on the ASVAB. I wonder how many are physically fit enough to do well at boot camp. I wonder how many could pass a drug test. Might some prefer to join the military and be offered a path to citizenship, rather than be deported?

Creating an “American Foreign Legion” could help play a role in addressing both our undocumented immigration problem as well as our military recruitment problem.

For the record, foreigners fighting for America is not a new concept. During the American Revolution, Tadeusz Ko?ciuszko, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, the Marquis de Lafayette, and others, made vital contributions to the struggle for independence. Without the assistance of foreign fighters, it is quite possible that the American Revolution would have ended with a different outcome.

Also, it is worth pointing out that under certain circumstances, foreigners are already allowed to join the U.S. military. Citizens of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau can enlist, as can foreigners who possess a green card. Perhaps it is time to consider allowing others to join as well.

If an undocumented immigrant can pass the mental and physical requirements to join the military, if they enlist, and they serve honorably, shouldn’t they be given the opportunity to make this land of immigrants their new home?