The armed services have responded to declining enlistment rates by hiring thousands of new recruiters, spending billions on slick ads and marketing, lowering educational standards, forcing soldiers to stay in the military, overlooking histories of criminal violence and substance abuse and raising the enlistment age to 42.

Many activists say current recruiting methods amount to a “poverty draft,” targeting urban and rural youth with limited economic or educational prospects by dangling offers of enlistment bonuses of up to $40,000.

An “Army of None” gives dramatic expression to how many people feel about the Pentagon and its wars. Poster by David Hollenbach, printed by The Indypendent.