Why Army recruitment is down in 2023
Middle East Forum Chief Editor Jim Hanson joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to explain why the U.S. Army numbers reached their lowest since 1940.
The U.S. Army recently announced it shattered previous recruiting records, with December 2024 being the most productive December in 15 years.
The branch reported it enlisted nearly 350 soldiers every day that month, Army officials announced Tuesday on social media.
“Our Recruiters have one of the toughest jobs – inspiring the next generation of #Soldiers to serve. Congratulations and keep up the great work! #BAYCB,” Army recruiting officials wrote in a post on X.
Members of the Army National Guard in formation. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Matthew A. Foster)
US ARMY CUTTING FORCE BY 24L AMID RECRUITING SHORTFALLS
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took to X to share the news.
“BOTTOM LINE: America’s youth want to serve under the bold & strong “America First” leadership of [President Donald Trump] @realDonaldTrump.”
The Army is making the Future Soldier Preparatory Course a permanent program. (Nathan Clinebelle/U.S. Army)
In October 2023, the Army unveiled a series of sweeping changes to its recruiting enterprise, including an expanded focus on a larger share of the labor market and the creation of a specialized talent acquisition workforce.
The Army surged medical providers to Military Entrance Processing Stations across the country to help make the enlistment process more efficient, and leveraged innovative new technologies to reach expanded audiences and help identify candidates interested in military service.
THIRD SOLDIER INSIDE BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER INVOLVED IN DC MIDAIR COLLISION IDENTIFIED
There was also a notable expansion of the branch’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which helps potential recruits overcome academic and physical fitness barriers to service, while allegedly “not sacrificing quality for quantity.”
U.S. Army drill sergeant corrects a recruit during her first day of training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Jan. 31, 2017. Referred to as “Day Zero” this marks the beginning of the recruit’s journey through Basic Combat Training, where she will transition from a civilian to a soldier. U.S. Army photo by Stephen Standifird (U.S. Army photo by Stephen Standifird )
Still, the U.S. military missed its recruiting goals by 41,000 in 2023.
In 2024, the Army announced it was cutting its force by 24,000 in a restructuring to “help the service fight in future wars.”
The almost 5 percent of jobs cut affected posts that remained empty, according to the Army.
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Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this story.
