The issue is convincing men to put on the uniform.
A decade of declining recruitment numbers for the Army is almost entirely attributable to a significant drop in male recruiting as female enlistments have remained relatively flat, internal service data reviewed by Military.com shows.
Since 2013, male enlistments have dropped 35%, going from 58,000 men enlisting in 2013 to 37,700 in 2023, according to the service data. Meanwhile, female recruitment has hovered around 10,000 recruits each year.
Read Next: How Do You Measure Up? Here’s How Soldiers Are Scoring on the Army Combat Fitness Test.
The stark numbers paint a clear picture of a significant source of the military’s recruiting struggles, with the Army making up the lion’s share of the entire force and thus needing the greatest volume of new enlistments every year. Those shortfalls have contributed to the service overworking its force, something its senior leadership has conceded is a significant problem.
The Army came up 10,000 soldiers short of its goal of bringing in 65,000 new active-duty troops last year. In 2022, it missed a goal of 60,000 soldiers by 15,000. Those shortfalls were consistent with the decline in recruiting among men. This year, the service reduced its goal — seeking 55,000 new recruits.
The demographic data traces the military’s recruiting struggles with the decline spanning the leadership of presidents from both major parties with vastly different…
