The U.S. Army announced its recruitment numbers for December 2024, marking the highest enlistment figures in over a decade.
In recent years, the Army has had to adapt its recruitment strategies due to a shrinking pool of qualified candidates. The struggle to meet enlistment goals within an all-volunteer force led to significant changes in how the Army approaches potential recruits.
December 2024 saw an impressive surge, with nearly 350 soldiers enlisting each day, making it the most successful December in 15 years.
Army recruiters celebrated the achievement on X, posting, “Our recruiters have one of the toughest jobs – inspiring the next generation of #Soldiers to serve. Congratulations and keep up the great work!”
The Army previously fell short of its goals in recent years. In 2022, it missed its target of 60,000 by 15,000 recruits. The following year, the service recruited just over 50,000, falling significantly short of its “stretch goal” of 65,000.
However, the Army turned the tide in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, meeting its goal of 55,000 recruits and beginning to rebuild its delayed entry pool. A key contributor to this success was the Future Soldier Prep Course, which accounted for roughly 24% of the recruits.
This program provides lower-performing candidates up to 90 days of academic or fitness training to help them meet military standards before heading to basic training. Army officials credit the initiative as a major factor in achieving their recruitment targets.
The Future Soldier Prep Course is designed to help active-duty, reserve, and National Guard recruits improve in areas that previously prevented them from meeting the standards required to enter basic combat training. Participants focus on fitness and educational improvements necessary to pass the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), with most completing the course within three weeks before shipping out for training.
Despite the Army’s structured efforts to bolster recruitment, the Trump administration has claimed credit for the surge in December enlistments.
Newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth praised the numbers, stating on X, “BOTTOM LINE: America’s youth want to serve under the bold & strong ‘America First’ leadership of @realDonaldTrump.”
Hegseth has pledged to remove what he describes as “woke culture” from the military and refocus efforts on combat readiness. “Every moment that I’m here, I’m thinking about the guys and gals in Guam, in Germany, in Fort Benning (now Fort Moore) and Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty), on missile defense sites and aircraft carriers. Our job is lethality, readiness, and warfighting,” he said on his first day at the Pentagon.
Looking ahead, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told the Associated Press last month that the Army is on track to meet its 2025 enlistment goal, expecting to bring in 81,000 new recruits.
She anticipates that the Future Soldier Prep Course will account for approximately 30% of this year’s enlistments.
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