The social status of officers has fallen, causing the competition for those jobs to decrease, resulting in selection from a smaller, less capable pool of candidates. And incrementally reverting to the population intelligence norm.
You can get a nice job, get more money and don't have to bother with all that harshness. No wonder people don't go for this anymore. And as for the 'honor' of protecting one's country, my country (Holland) just elected an actual nazi so there is nothing left worth protecting.
Odd how that happens.