Key Points and Summary – U.S. military recruiting is surging in FY2025, with all branches meeting their goals and reversing the crisis of 2022.
-The Trump administration credits this turnaround to a renewed emphasis on “warrior ethos” and the removal of DEI initiatives, boosting patriotism.
A soldier from the Idaho Army National Guard, Charlie Company, 2-116th Combined Arms Battalion, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team makes Idaho National Guard history with the first firing of a Javelin anti-tank missile.
In a historic moment of training for the Idaho Army National Guard, soldiers from Charlie Company, 2-116th Combined Arms Battalion, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, fired the FGM – Javelin portable anti-tank missile on Sunday while conducting a series of field training exercises scheduled for the week on the Orchard Combat Training Center ranges.
-However, analysts point to more concrete factors, including improved recruiting processes and the success of the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which helps candidates meet academic and physical standards.
-Furthermore, a DoD-backed survey of young people shows “pay/money” is the number one motivator for enlistment, suggesting that better pay and bonuses, along with a period of relative peace, are key drivers.
Why Is U.S. Military Recruiting Suddenly Surging?
U.S. military recruiting numbers are rising, and it is not entirely clear why.
The Donald Trump administration believes this is because the Department of Defense has emphasized lethality and warfighting over political initiatives like diversity, equity, and inclusion, which have distracted the military from its primary mission of winning wars.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is prone to attribute the rise in recruiting to more patriotic enlistees after President Trump was re-elected in 2024.
Others point to initiatives undertaken during President Joe Biden’s term that led to better pay, the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, and less competition from the private sector.
There were also efforts to grant additional bonuses to certain recruits, to implement better recruiting strategies, and to offer remedial preparatory classes before basic training.
M10 Booker. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
What Are the Numbers?
Enlistment was up 12.5 percent in FY2024 compared to FY2023.
There were 225,000 new personnel in FY2024 and 200,000 in FY2023.
This applies to all five military branches, including active duty and reserves, according to the Department of Defense.
In FY2025, all military branches met their recruiting goals, according to ClearanceJobs.com.
The Army eclipsed its objectives four months early, with 10 percent more enlistees than the 55,000 in FY2024.
The Navy said it has the most recruits in the last 25 years.
The service branch said it now has a surplus of enlistees, reservists, and officers.
There are at least 44,000 new sailors.
The Air Force met its objectives in FY2025 and has a head start in FY2026, with 19,000 recruits enrolled in its delayed entry program.
The Marine Corps finished just over its mission goals for FY2025, but recruiters still enjoyed a good year. They brought in more than 30,000 new marines.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), conducts flight operations in the North Sea, Aug. 23, 2025. Gerald R. Ford, a first-in-class aircraft carrier and deployed flagship of Carrier Strike Group Twelve, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality, and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and defend U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Maxwell Orlosky)
There was a recruiting crisis in 2022. The Army missed its goals by 25 percent or 15,000 soldiers. Other branches were down too. This has turned around.
Recruiting Practices and Procedures Have Improved
Katherine Kuzminski analyzes military recruiting at the Center for New American Security. “We have seen the services really made an effort to modernize the structures and processes to the recruiting enterprise. We saw, especially in the Army, a real professionalization of the way that we approach managing recruiters themselves,” she told NPR.
Getting the Word Out and More Remedial Programs
“The military also boosted spending on advertising and marketing. And perhaps most importantly, the Army, in 2022, created the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which tutors potential enlistees to improve their test scores and helps those who don’t meet the weight standards trim down. Last year, the Army got nearly one-quarter of its recruits through that program…it’s cost effective,” according to Jay Price of WUNC in North Carolina.
Make the Military Great Again
Trump and Hegseth also credit what they see as a return to the warrior ethos, which makes the military seem like a fun and adventurous call to arms and de-emphasizes the politically correct initiatives of the Biden administration.
The Trump national security team is assured that recruits are more patriotic due to last year’s presidential election win and that moving beyond DEI initiatives has helped bring more curious onlookers who may have passed on the military in years before raise their right hands and swear in today.
There are a few opinion polls asking why people join the military, but a survey conducted by the Joint Advertising Marketing Research Group found that better pay is a major consideration for those joining.
It Comes Down to Pay and Bonuses
The Associated Press noted that the survey polled those aged 16 to 21. Fifty-three percent of respondents listed “pay/money” in response to the question, “If you were to consider joining the U.S. Military, what would be the main reason(s)?”
The Associated Press also pointed out in the survey that 72 percent chose “possibility of physical injury/death” in response to the question, “What would be the main reason(s) why you would NOT consider joining the U.S. Military?”
One aspect of military recruiting today is that the United States is not engaged in any large active wars. After nearly 25 years of the Global War on Terror, America has fewer dangerous deployments.
This could figure into the calculus of why people joined recently. Parents also have a role in these enlistment decisions, and since this is a time of relative peace they may be more likely to allow or even encourage sons and daughters to enlist.
The military is also doing a better job of online recruiting, with new commercials that push activities focused on warfighting over DEI. The military still recruits from people walking into offices in malls, and recruiters have full-time personnel combing high schools. The personal touch is essential. At my son’s high school in Virginia, military recruiters maintain a constant presence.
JROTC programs are also strong. JROTC teaches high school students basic military skills in leadership courses.
I joined the military for fun and adventure, and the opportunity to serve my country in a patriotic manner. Many recruits still stand by those principles, but they want a steady job with an assured paycheck (although the current government shutdown is hurting these prospects).
But most military members are happy to be paid regularly in normal times with dependable healthcare for families.
One benefit that is not discussed as much is the Post-9/11 GI Bill. I used this after my Army career, and it was a massive help in my transition to civilian life.
Trump and Hegseth are gladly taking credit for the recruiting numbers, and they should be. The military is “cool” again and is looking to be strong in FY2026. Retention is an altogether different issue, and the Department of Defense will be tracking how many people re-enlist beyond their original contract.
Still, we know there will be an influx of recruits to replace those leaving the service.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
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John Dilatush
October 24, 2025 at 7:36 pm
The reason for the uptick is much the same as when I joined in 1979… unless you are blind you’ll see we are on the verge or already in a recession.
The education and the bonuses as well as pay and medical are much better than in the civilian world oh and don’t forget four weeks leave and if you pay attention free airfare. Trump and hogsbreath only get credit for beginning a war on a region of the world that we haven’t had a reason to fight. Now we are just going to spend billions to murder people a tomohawk missle is just a bit of overkill to destroy a possible drug courier boat that probably has a vost of 50k tops and three or four souls.