The United States Army announced this week in a post on X, that it saw record-setting recruitment in December 2024. The final month of last year was the most productive the service had seen in 15 years, as it enlisted nearly 350 recruits daily.
“Our Recruiters have one of the toughest jobs – inspiring the next generation of #Soldiers to serve. Congratulations and keep up the great work! #BAYCB,” the service wrote in its post, referencing its “Be All You Can Be” branding campaign that was first introduced in 1980.
It was a significant about-face for the Army, which had struggled to meet recruiting goals in recent years. However, for fiscal year 2024 (FY24), which ended on September 30, all of the branches of the U.S. military had announced the goals had been exceeded. In total, the service saw at least 55,300 total accessions.
After meeting the FY24 goals, the Army announced it would build on that success by upping its recruiting goal by 11% to 61,000 soldiers for fiscal year 2025 (FY25).
Future Soldier Prep Course Paying Off
The Army has increasingly shown some flexibility to help fill its ranks. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has estimated that fewer than one in four young Americans now meets the necessary military service criteria, and to help ensure that those who are interested in service—yet fail to meet the physical or academic standards—are still given the chance.
To address the issue, the Army expanded its Future Soldier Preparatory Course (FSPC), which was introduced to aid potential recruits to overcome academic and physical fitness barriers to service, while not sacrificing quality for quantity. More than 90% of participants completed the program and progressed to basic training.
That is significant as almost one-quarter (24%) of recruits last year came out of the FSPC.
As a result of its goals being met for FY24, the Army expanded its 90-day pre-boot camp with two additional companies at Fort Jackson, SC, and two more at Fort Moore, GA. That may already be paying off as it resulted in 11,000 recruits being prepared for FY25.
More Recruits Headed to Basic Training
With the wave of recruits, the Army is already expanding how many will be able to head to basic training this spring.
“By April, the service expects to have 10 additional basic training units established across Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma – some of which are already established. In total, that would allow the Army to train up to 9,600 new recruits per year,” Military.com reported, citing Lt. Col. Randy Ready, U.S. Army spokesperson.
As the service has now met its goals, it will continue to build on the momentum and get the recruits in uniform and trained.
“Expanding basic training capacity is a result of successful recruiting efforts and the Future Soldier Preparatory Course,” Lt. Gen. David Francis, commander for the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training, also said in a statement to Military.com. “This is a great problem to have as we continue to train the most capable and lethal soldiers for our Army.”
New DoD Head Taking Credit
Though the recruiting numbers occurred before President Donald Trump took office, the surge still occurred after the election in November and also followed the announcement that a former Fox News channel host was named to head to the DoD.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth didn’t waste any time in touting the December numbers.
“BOTTOM LINE: America’s youth want to serve under the bold & strong ‘America First’ leadership of @realDonaldTrump,” Hegseth wrote on X, after previously suggesting the recruitment numbers were the result of the election.
During his confirmation hearings, he said, “We’ve already seen it in recruiting numbers. There’s already been a surge since President Trump won the election.”
However, as noted, the surge had begun before the end of FY24. Several other factors could be at play – including the military’s lowering the barrier of entry, increased recruiting campaigns on social media, and partnerships with high-profile TV shows.
