The Army might be on track to meet its bullish recruiting goal this year after last year saw the service struggle to find recruits.
Since the start of the new fiscal year, which began in October, the Army has recruited some 18,500 new soldiers and has roughly another 13,000 in the pipeline in various stages of the recruiting process, Maj. Gen. Johnny Davis, head of the service’s Recruiting Command, told Military.com on Thursday. If the Army can keep up that pace for each quarter of the year, it would hit its recruiting goal.
“This competition and war for talent is real,” Davis said. “But things are getting better.”
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The first chunk of the fiscal year is generally seen as one of the most difficult times to recruit, as much of it falls during the holidays and brisk winter months in parts of the country. The Army’s goal this year is to bring in 65,000 new soldiers, after falling 15,000 short of its 60,000 recruiting target last year. If it kept up its pace from the first quarter, the Army would bring in 74,000 recruits in 2023.
Army officials have said that much of the recruiting struggle is out of the service’s direct control. Recruiters interviewed by Military.com say it isn’t a lack of interest in service by young Americans, it’s finding qualified candidates who can meet the service’s standards, with many potential…
