U.S. Army surpasses 2025 recruiting goal four months ahead of schedule

By lauraharris // 2025-06-08

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The Army surpassed its fiscal year 2025 recruiting goal of 61,000 active-duty soldiers four months ahead of schedule.
Officials attribute the surge to a mix of patriotic sentiment, relaxed enlistment standards and expanded preparatory programs, while experts point to economic pressures like youth unemployment and a contracting economy.
Over 11,000 recruits counted this year actually signed up in 2024 through the delayed-entry program, reflecting both a backlog in training and a strategic recruitment pipeline.
More than 10,000 underqualified applicants were brought in through the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which boosts eligibility through academic and fitness support, despite slightly higher attrition rates.
The Army has relaxed certain standards, including allowing more recruits with felony convictions (except for sexual offenses), as part of broader efforts to widen the recruitment pool.

The U.S. Army has officially surpassed its fiscal year 2025 recruiting goal of 61,000 new soldiers, a full four months ahead of schedule, military officials announced on Tuesday, June 3. During the participation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in a panel at the AI Expo in Washington, D.C., the two officials announced the success and ongoing momentum in Army recruiting. "Today the U.S. Army met our FY25 recruiting goals a whole four months ahead of schedule," Driscoll said on Tuesday. "I want to thank the commander in chief, President [Donald] Trump and Secretary of Defense [Pete] Hegseth for their decisive leadership and support, which helped make this feat possible. "I'm also extremely proud of the recruiters, leaders and other advocates who helped us smash this goal," he continued. "America's young women and men are proud of our country and want to serve in the U.S. Army and the results speak for themselves." (Related: Woke U.S. military failing to recruit because nobody wants to defend American degeneracy.) The Army stressed that recruiting will continue through the remainder of the fiscal year. New enlistees will enter through the delayed entry program, allowing them to ship to training at a later date. In a snapshot of its current recruiting pace, officials previously reported that in December alone, 350 individuals were signing up to serve every day. Army leaders expressed confidence that the traditionally strong summer recruiting season will further strengthen end-of-year numbers, though they made clear that the current milestone already reflects a dramatic and welcome shift from previous years' struggles. This year's goal represented a more than 10 percent increase over last year's target of 55,000, highlighting what Army leaders described as a surge in interest and enthusiasm among young Americans. The Army noted that average daily enlistment contract rates have outpaced last year's figures by up to 56 percent during the same time.

Economic pressures, policy shifts drive Army's recruiting surge as enlistment standards loosen

Military officials have credited the increase to both patriotic sentiment and policy reforms, but also experts said economic forces are likely playing a substantial role. The U.S. economy contracted by 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2025, the worst performance in three years, amid ongoing trade disputes and rising uncertainty in sectors like tech. Youth unemployment has also crept upward as companies trim entry-level hiring, potentially pushing more young people to consider military service as a stable alternative. Much of the current recruiting class was built on early commitments through the delayed-entry program, which lets high school seniors sign contracts in advance. Of the 61,000 counted toward this year's total, more than 11,000 signed last year but waited until 2025 to ship to basic training – a number more than double the program’s usual size. That surge followed training delays and backlogs from 2024, prompting the Army to expand its basic training infrastructure this year. The Army has also leaned heavily on the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, launched in 2022, which gives academically or physically underqualified applicants a chance to meet enlistment standards through intensive pre-basic training. So far this year, over 10,000 soldiers have completed at least one round of the course. While the program has proven effective in broadening access, internal Army data shows that troops who come through it have a slightly higher attrition rate, about 25 percent, compared to the 20 percent among those who go straight to basic training. Nonetheless, leaders view it as a worthwhile investment in long-term force readiness. The Army has also relaxed certain enlistment standards. In 2024, it approved the enlistment of 401 individuals with felony convictions, up from 98 in 2022. However, officials emphasized that those with convictions for sexual offenses remain barred from service. Wokies.news has more stories about the woke agenda in the military. Watch this InfoWars segment explaining how a woke military proves America is under attack from within.

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Economic pressures, policy shifts drive Army's recruiting surge as enlistment standards loosen

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