Recruitment Rises 12.5% Despite Ongoing Challenges

The Defense Department’s armed services branches recruited 12.5% more individuals in fiscal year 2024 than in the year prior despite a challenging and indifferent recruiting market.

Katie Helland Director of Military Accessions Policy Katie Helland speaks with members of the media during a panel on 2025 recruiting goals at the Pentagon, Oct. 30, 2024.
Share:
×
Share
Copy Link
Email
Facebook
X.
LinkedIn.
WhatsApp

Download: Full Size (235.52 KB).
Credit: employment Flying Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie Sanders, DOD.
VIRIN: 241030-D-XI929-1004

While speaking at a multiservice panel on 2025 recruiting issues at the Pentagon earlier this week, employment Director of Military Accession Policy Katie Helland employment stated that the services increased the variety of employees from 200,000 in FY 2023 to 225,000 in FY 2024, which ended September 30.

Additionally, she stated, the services had a 35% boost in composed agreements, employment and the active components’ postponed entry program started FY 2025 with a 10% larger swimming pool.

” [The Office of the Secretary of Defense] and the services will continue to build off the momentum that we have actually acquired in 2024,” Helland said.

” Nevertheless,” she continued, “we need to remain very carefully positive about the future recruiting operations as we continue to hire in a market that has low youth tendency to serve, minimal familiarity with military opportunities, a competitive labor market and a decreasing eligibility amongst young grownups.”

Helland elaborated on those challenges by explaining that, for the first time given that the metric has actually been tracked, many young have actually never ever considered the option of serving in the armed force.

The factors behind that are multifold, Helland said. Young Americans have fewer ties to friends or family members who have actually served in the military. There is a decreasing existence of veterans in our society. Approximately 77% of individuals between the ages of 17 and 24 need some kind of waiver to serve due to any variety of disqualifications.

To counter such obstacles, Helland stated the armed force has actually implemented a medical pilot program that enables recruits to sign up with the armed force without a waiver for numerous health conditions – provided they satisfy particular requirements. Additionally, there are service member prep courses that prepare employees to fulfill the exhausting requirements of military service. Moreover, DOD is looking for employment to reconnect with youth and employment their influencers by revealing them the worth of serving.

” The next generation of Americans to serve should understand that there has never been a much better time for them to choose military service,” Helland stated.

Panel Pentagon Press Secretary Flying Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder assists in a panel on 2025 recruiting goals at the Pentagon, Oct. 30, 2024.
Share:.
×.
Share.
Copy Link.
Email.
Facebook.
X.
LinkedIn.
WhatsApp

Download: Full Size (266.24 KB).
Credit: Flying Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie Sanders, DOD.
VIRIN: 241030-D-XI929-1016

” Youth today look for a larger purpose in their lives and desire jobs where they have higher involvement in decision-making and can develop a direct tangible effect,” she continued. “Military service uses all of this.”

Explaining that U.S. military service uses more than 250 professions and that it represents one of the most extremely educated companies throughout the world and throughout all pay grades, Helland said the Defense Department is striving to counter the story that joining the military is an alternative to participating in college or “an alternative of last option.”

” We are working to reframe this narrative so that Americans understand that military service is a pathway to higher education and career chances while defending democracy and the liberties we hold dear,” Helland said.

She added that DOD is reframing this story. For example, the department’s Joint Advertising Market Research and Studies program will soon introduce a campaign to develop familiarity with the American public about the worth of military service. Plans are likewise continuing to have adult influencers advocate for military service.