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Army Recruitment Hits Major Milestone, but It May Not Be Enough
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the Army has hit its best recruitment numbers in 15 years, but according to Daniel Driscoll, President Donald Trump’s nominee for army secretary, it’s not enough.
Newsweek has reached out to the Army via email for comment.
Why It Matters
For the past decade, the nation’s military as a whole has faced an uphill battle in recruiting, squeezed by a shrinking unemployment rate and intensified competition from private sector employers offering higher salaries and comparable or superior benefits.
However, the Army hit its recruitment target of 55,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, after bringing in fewer than 51,000 recruits each of the previous two years.
What To Know
In a Tuesday post on X (formerly Twitter), Hegseth touted the Army’s recruitment numbers, noting that they have been rising.
He wrote: “BREAKING: In December 2024, the @USArmy had its best recruiting number in 12 years. In January 2025, the Army hit its best recruiting number in 15 YEARS. BOTTOM LINE: America’s youth want to serve under the bold & strong “America First” leadership of @realDonaldTrump.”
While it is unclear what recruitment number Hegseth is referring to, the Army says it hit its recruitment target of 55,000 in fiscal 2024. In addition, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told the Associated Press in January the Army is poised to hit its 2025 enlistment targets, with an expected 81,000 new people expected to sign up.
But Driscoll said at his confirmation hearing last Thursday that the recruitment numbers are not sufficient.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
During the hearing, Driscoll, who spent nearly four years in the Army as a cavalry scout platoon leader, said that more needs to be done. He suggested that the recruiting target was picked because it was an achievable goal and not the number needed to properly staff the service.
“We have the fewest number of active soldiers that we’ve had since World War II, even as conflict is erupting around the world. We need to fix that,” he said.
He added: “I actually don’t think the answer is throwing more money at the problem. I think it’s nice to get things like GI Bill benefits. But I didn’t join for that. I enlisted to serve the country.”
In background material provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee ahead of the hearing, Driscoll also suggested a review of the Army’s recruiting strategy “to ensure it effectively conveys a strong value proposition to young people,” according to the Military Times website.
The Army’s Recent Recruiting Gains
Driscoll’s comments come after Army data shows that recruitment has been steadily rising over the past year, peaking in August 2024—a few months before the November election. Officials closely monitor these figures as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen enlistment.
A key factor behind the Army’s recent recruiting gains is the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, launched in August 2022 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The program provides lower-performing recruits with up to 90 days of academic and fitness training, helping them meet enlistment standards before advancing to basic training.
Only 23 percent of young adults meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards for enlistment without requiring a waiver. Disqualifying factors range from drug use and criminal records to gang affiliations. The challenge was compounded by the pandemic, which disrupted recruitment by shutting down enlistment stations and limiting the military’s traditional outreach efforts in schools and public events.
The Army faced a severe recruitment shortfall in 2022, missing its 60,000-enlistment target by 15,000. The following year, the service recruited just over 50,000 new soldiers—well below its ambitious goal of 65,000.
In 2023, the Navy and Air Force fell short of their recruitment targets, while the Marine Corps and the Space Force—by far the smallest branch—continued to meet their enlistment goals.
What People Are Saying
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told the Associated Press in January: “What’s really remarkable is the first-quarter contracts that we have signed are the highest rate in the last 10 years…. We are going like gangbusters, which is terrific.”
Retired Major General Dennis Laich, who served 35 years in the Army Reserve, wrote in a 2024 Newsweek op-ed: “The U.S. military is in a crisis. Through the second month of FY2024, active Army and Navy recruitment fell 30-40 percent short of recruiting goals. Army Reserves, Navy Reserves, and Air National Guard recruitment fell by 20 percent or more.”
He went on: “These numbers are a continuation of a grim trend. Over the last decade, the propensity to serve has declined from 15 percent to 9 percent, while the proportion of recruiting-age Americans qualified for service has fallen from 30 percent to 23 percent. There is a growing disconnect between servicemembers and civilian society, as less than 1 percent of Americans actively serve and the number of living veterans could decrease by upwards of 34 percent over the next 25 years.”
What Happens Next
The Senate Armed Services Committee will next vote on whether to advance Driscoll’s nomination for a vote before the full Senate.
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