Recruitment Rises 12.5% Despite Ongoing Challenges
The Defense Department's armed services branches hired 12.5% more people in 2024 than in the year prior in spite of a difficult and market.
Katie Helland Director of Military Accessions Policy Katie Helland speaks to members of the media throughout a panel on 2025 recruiting goals at the Pentagon, raovatonline.org Oct. 30, 2024. Share: × Share Copy Link Email Facebook X. LinkedIn. WhatsApp
Download: Full Size (235.52 KB). Credit: Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie Sanders, DOD. VIRIN: 241030-D-XI929-1004
While speaking at a multiservice panel on 2025 recruiting problems at the Pentagon previously this week, Director of Military Accession Policy Katie Helland stated that the services increased the number of recruits from 200,000 in FY 2023 to 225,000 in FY 2024, which ended September 30.
Additionally, she stated, the services had a 35% increase in written contracts, and the active components' delayed entry program began FY 2025 with a 10% larger pool.
" [The Office of the Secretary of Defense] and the services will continue to build off the momentum that we have actually gained in 2024," Helland said.
" Nevertheless," she continued, "we need to remain meticulously positive about the future recruiting operations as we continue to recruit in a market that has low youth tendency to serve, restricted familiarity with military opportunities, a competitive labor market and a declining eligibility among young people."
Helland elaborated on those challenges by explaining that, for the very first time since the metric has actually been tracked, most young people have never considered the choice of serving in the armed force.
The reasons 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 declining existence of veterans in our society. Approximately 77% of people between the ages of 17 and 24 need some type of waiver to serve due to any number of disqualifications.
To counter such challenges, Helland said the military has executed a medical pilot program that enables employees to join the military without a waiver for various health conditions - offered they fulfill particular requirements. Additionally, there are service member preparation courses that prepare recruits to satisfy the laborious requirements of military service. Moreover, DOD is seeking to reconnect with youth and their influencers by revealing them the worth of serving.
" The next generation of Americans to serve need to understand that there has never ever been a better time for them to select military service," Helland stated.
Panel Pentagon Press Secretary Flying Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder assists in a panel on financial year 2025 recruiting objectives at the Pentagon, Oct. 30, 2024. Share:. ×. Share. Copy Link. Email. Facebook. X. LinkedIn. WhatsApp
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" Youth today look for a larger purpose in their lives and desire jobs where they have greater involvement in decision-making and can develop a direct concrete impact," she continued. "Military service uses all of this."
Explaining that U.S. military service offers more than 250 occupations and that it represents one of the most extremely informed companies throughout the world and throughout all pay grades, Helland said the Defense Department is working hard to counter the narrative that joining the armed force is an alternative to participating in college or "an option of last option."
" We are working to reframe this narrative so that Americans comprehend that military service is a path to higher education and career opportunities while protecting democracy and the flexibilities we love," Helland stated.
She added that DOD is reframing this narrative. For instance, the department's Joint Advertising Marketing research and Studies program will soon introduce a project to develop familiarity with the American public about the value of military service. Plans are also proceeding to have adult influencers advocate for military service.