Navy Set to Miss Recruiting Goals by 6,700, Chief of Naval Personnel Tells House

[Timber Rattler]

https://news.usni.org/2024/04/17/navy-set-to-miss-recruiting-goals-by-6700-chief-of-naval-personnel-tells-house?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3Og-uArtVvFjfOkHcE86FQ20H9CWuNGxnQylzKFo5I8QFW4jFlf1Otj0w_aem_AdULW2G-IDTFm-Qulv5o6yKQcJebrDvSmvkGxNKokI4Hf4xmcqSpE3z2w-uJ92E6PYHFvkf0nNEBRyUfCTmvIcTm

The Navy is set to miss its recruiting goals by 6,700, the sea service’s top personnel officer testified before the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee.

The projected miss in recruiting will mark the second time in a row that the Navy will miss its goals, if its projections come to pass. In Fiscal Year 2023, the sea service missed its goals by 7,464, causing the service to increase its FY 2024 goals in hopes of recapping some of the gap.

Despite missing the projected miss, Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Richard Cheeseman told the members of the House Armed Services subcommittee for personnel issues that the Navy was trending upward with recruiting. The Navy has 2,500 more recruits compared to the same time last year, Cheeseman said.

“We took what we missed last year and added it to what we need to do this year, partially because we recognize that it’s not just about end strength,” Cheeseman said. “It’s about work requirements in the fleet that we need to maintain so that we can build out of that [hole].”

The Navy has continued to open up a number of paths aimed at widening the pool of applicants, including allowing for people without high school degrees to apply if they meet testing requirements.

For retention, the Navy is on track to meet its goals, according to Cheeseman’s written opening statement. The Navy also met its goals in FY 2023.

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