Four in a Row: New York National Guard Tops Nation Again in Recruiting
For the fourth year in a row, the New York Army National Guard (NYARNG) is outpacing recruiting numbers compared to more than four dozen of its counterparts. The NYARNG has exerted prowess in both recruiting and retention since 2022, with an assigned strength of 11,700 recruits for the 2025 fiscal year that concluded Sept. 30—representing […]
Army Hits Annual Recruiting Goal Months Ahead of Schedule
The Army announced Tuesday that it had already reached its annual goal of recruiting 61,000 active-duty soldiers, fueled by efforts to reach out to young Americans who historically have been unqualified to serve and likely a weakening economy. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have praised recruiting momentum as a sign of renewed […]
Pentagon Weighs Bigger Army as Service Sees Early Recruiting Success
The Army is on the cusp of hitting its annual recruiting target months ahead of schedule, a development that’s prompting Pentagon planners to consider a rare move: increasing the active-duty force without Congress. As of Monday, the Army had brought in 59,875 new active-duty enlisted soldiers with a total goal of 61,000 for fiscal 2025, […]
Army Seeing Major Recruiting Momentum in 2025 After Hitting Goal Last Year
The Army is poised to easily hit its recruiting target this year as the service has made enormous gains in filling the ranks ahead of its traditional summer rush of new enlistments. As of last week, the Army had enlisted 51,837 recruits, or 85% of its 61,000 target for fiscal 2025, according service data provided […]
Army Is Breaking its Own Body Fat Standards to Meet Recruiting Numbers, Watchdog Says
The Army has been recruiting applicants who far exceed its body fat standards and not providing them the necessary medical services as they try to shed the weight and come into compliance, according to a new Defense Department inspector general report. The Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course was designed to expand enlistment eligibility for those […]
Army Cuts Outreach at Girls School After Dropping Recruiting at Black Engineering Event
The Army has severed a long-standing partnership with Ashley Hall, an all-girls preparatory school in Charleston, South Carolina, as the Pentagon radically recalibrates its approach to diversity under President Donald Trump. For the first time since 2017, the Army Corps of Engineers will not participate in Ashley Hall’s annual “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day,” […]
Army Set to Dramatically Grow Basic Training, Riding Recruiting High
The Army is set to dramatically expand how many new recruits it can send to basic training this spring, riding the momentum of recent gains toward reversing a recruiting slump it has struggled with in recent years. By April, the service expects to have 10 additional basic training units established across Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, […]
Surge of Female Enlistments Helped Drive Army Success in Reaching 2024 Recruiting Goal
Last year marked the first time in several years that the Army achieved its ambitious recruiting goals — primarily due to an increase in female recruits, according to internal service data reviewed by Military.com. Nearly 10,000 women signed up for active duty in 2024, an 18% jump from the previous year, while male recruitment increased […]
Do Air Shows Really Help Military Readiness and Recruiting? Congress Plans to Find Out.
Lawmakers want the secretary of defense to brief Congress on how sending military aircraft to air shows affects recruiting and readiness, as well as study the effect of bringing those planes to smaller rural communities. As part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, Congress has asked the next defense secretary to brief […]
Army and Navy Prep Courses May Be a Recruiting Crisis Silver Bullet. But Other Services Aren't Interested.
The Army and Navy had early recruiting successes with new pre-basic training programs aimed at helping subpar applicants qualify for enlistment, but so far other service branches are reluctant to follow their lead. “I would offer the answer is ‘no,’” Brig. Gen. Christopher Amrhein, who oversees recruiting for the Air Force and Space Force, told […]