Army recruiting: better than last year, still short of goal, officials say
The service inducted around 9,000 more new soldiers this year than in 2022, commander says.
SAM SKOVE | SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 06:47 PM ET
LONDON—U.S. Army recruiting is adding about 20 percent more new soldiers than last year, the commander of the Army’s Recruiting Command said Friday, although it is still likely to fall short of its goal for the fiscal year.
The Army is “doing a lot better,” said Maj. Gen. Johnny Davis at the DSEI arms trade show here.
The service brought on fewer than 45,000 new soldiers in fiscal 2022, missing its goal of 60,000 by more than one-quarter. In fiscal 2023, which wraps up at month’s end, the Army is on track to add about 54,000 recruits, Davis said. He hailed strong recruitment in a number of states, including California and Texas.
But the Army will fall short of its 2023 goal of 65,000 troops. That’s no surprise; Army leaders have said since May that they anticipated improvement but not to reach the mark. In July, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth described the target as a “stretch goal,” and said the Army expects it to take years to more consistently hit recruiting goals.
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2023/09/army-recruiting-better-last-year-still-short-goal-officials-say/390357/
