The U.S. Army is on track to meet its 2025 recruitment quota for the first time in several years.
The Pentagon said projections for the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force are on target for 2024, and the U.S. Navy said its numbers are surging as well.
Why is it improving? Some military analysts say this is due to better pay and benefits. Some point out that the military is changing its recruiting program.
The Army plans to hire 61,000 young people by the end of the year, with another 20,000 enrolled in the 2026 Deferred Entry Program, according to Secretary of the Army Christine Warmuth.
Army officials note that the current contract sees recruit enrollment at the highest level in a decade.
Warmuth acknowledged that the U.S. Army’s numbers have declined significantly due to COVID-19 restrictions put in place by the Biden administration, which have significantly reduced recruiting numbers in nearly all military branches.
In 2022, the Army fell 15,000 short of its enlistment goal of 60,000, while the Navy and Air Force missed their 2023 targets. Only two branches, the Marine Corps and the Space Force, achieved their goals.
Republicans have criticized military shortages in recent years, as well as mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for service members, wakefulness, and DEI policies adopted by the Biden administration.
But another factor slowing down recruitment is the military’s policy on recruits who fail drug use, weight and aptitude tests.
However, the newly introduced changes are having positive results in recruiting new employees. The Army currently has something called the Future Soldier Preparation Course. This allows underachieving individuals to receive 90 days of fitness and academic instruction to meet military requirements.
According to the Army, about 24% of recruits are accepted into the reserve program, and that number is expected to increase this year.
The number of minorities seeking to serve in the U.S. military is increasing. The Army reported a record high number of Hispanic enlistees in 2024, and a 6% increase in black enlistees.
