Recruitment for the U.S. Army hit a 15-year high in December, U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced.
Hegseth’s announcement stems from data released by the U.S. Army Recruitment Command on Tuesday, which reports that 346 soldiers enlisted daily in the Army throughout the month of December – approximately 10,726 soldiers – marking the highest recruitment of Army soldiers within a December in 15 years.
.@USAREC had their most productive December in 15 years by enlisting 346 Soldiers daily into the World's greatest #USArmy!
Our Recruiters have one of the toughest jobs – inspiring the next generation of #Soldiers to serve.
Congratulations and keep up the great work! #BAYCB pic.twitter.com/nEpuP9akZM
— U.S. Army (@USArmy) February 4, 2025
December’s record-breaking recruitment was the second month in a row that the Army recruitment hit a record high, as Hegseth noted that November’s recruitment numbers also hit a 12-year high.
Hegseth said the back-to-back record-breaking recruitment numbers prove that “America’s youth want to serve under the bold & strong “America First” leadership of [President Donald Trump.”
Pointing to the rise in Army recruitments following the November 5 general election, Hegseth previously said during his confirmation hearing in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Forces last month that service members will “rejoice” as the military gets back to focusing on “lethality and warfighting” under his and President Trump’s leadership.
In his opening statement during his confirmation hearing, Hegseth also committed to “restoring” the “Warrior Ethos” to the Pentagon and throughout the U.S. Armed Forces by “reestablishing trust” within the military and addressing the “recruiting, retention and readiness crisis” in the military ranks.
The Army failed to meet its recruitment goals in both Fiscal Year 2023 and Fiscal Year 2022, according to the U.S. Army Recruitment Command.
In Fiscal Year 2023, the Army failed to hit its recruitment goal of 65,000, as only 50,181 active-duty soldiers – or 76.6 percent of the goal – were enlisted.
In Fiscal Year 2022, the Army failed to reach its recruitment goal of 60,000, as only 44,901 active-duty soldiers – or 74.8 percent of the goal – were enlisted.
Former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said last month that the Army is on pace to hit its Fiscal Year 2025 recruitment goal of 61,000 active-duty soldiers after just narrowly meeting Fiscal Year 2024’s goal of 55,000 soldiers.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
