The following
overview examines the future of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) efforts
to use the Internet for recruiting. Although the DOD has developed
extensive Websites for Internet recruiting, it is not meeting its overall
recruiting goals. This project submits that parents and educators
as opinion leaders in the recruiting process are not receiving sufficient
attention in DOD Internet initiatives. The Diffusion of Innovations
and Two-step Flow theories provide the foundation for this exploration
of recommendations to the DOD in this area. Although further
efforts at recruiting through the Internet may not solve the DOD’s recruiting
challenges, if the DOD fails to include the role of opinion leaders in
fostering the acceptability of military careers among American youth, Internet
marketing may not be fully successful.