The US Army wants to attract more soldiers by fielding a Fortnite team

In an attempt better connect with America’s youth, the U.S. Army is standing up an esports team. The effort comes during a period in which the Army is having difficulty meeting its recruitment targets.

As first reported by Stars And Stripes, an independent news organization which operates from within the Department of Defense, the Army esports team is currently accepting applications from active duty personnel, reservists and veterans. An online form indicates that there is interest in fielding teams for Fortnite, Call of Duty, Tekken, League of Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Overwatch, FIFA, the Madden series and the NBA 2K franchise.

In an interview for an Army recruiting station in Slidell, Louisiana, staff sergeant Ryan Meaux said the goal was to use esports in “furthering the Army’s brand” and boosting recruitment. According to Meaux, that will begin in December with an internal Tekken 7 tournament. The winner will represent the Army at PAX South in January 2019.

This is not the first time that the military has used video games to appeal to potential recruits. It previously staged a Street Fighter 5 esports tournament at eight garrisons. One recent high-profile effort saw the Army design and build its own first-person shooter, called America’s Army. You can still access a version of “the official game of the U.S. Army,” which is now free-to-play, on Steam. It was recently updated in October.