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US Military Recruitment Numbers Over The Years

A Navy recruiter speaks to a recruit.

Military recruitment is vital for maintaining the strength and readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces. But in recent years, shifts in national priorities, workforce trends, and societal changes have created challenges in achieving recruitment goals across all branches. 

The challenges faced by military recruiters in the United States are formidable, but each year these men and women try to keep the all-volunteer force vibrant with a steady flow of ready and willing applicants who join the ranks for a multitude of reasons. For some, enlisting is about the allure of travel. Others join for pay, benefits or college money. And others serve because they are driven by patriotism and feel obligated to give their service to the nation. But whatever the reason, recruiting in a nation where military service is not mandatory has its drawbacks for sure, but it has even more positives.

This blog post explores how U.S. military recruitment numbers have fluctuated from 2016 to 2025, analyzing trends, challenges, and expectations for the coming years. We decided to use a 10-year period since that is more modern and recent history.

Military Recruitment Numbers by Branch (2016–2025)

Between 2016 and 2019, the U.S. military consistently met or slightly exceeded its military recruitment numbers across all branches. The Army and Navy, being the two largest services, maintained higher quotas compared to the Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. 

  • U.S. Army: Regularly targeted between 70,000–80,000 new recruits per year, meeting its goals due to strong incentives, benefits, and aggressive marketing campaigns. During this period, the Army averaged around 68,000 recruits as part of reaching their military recruitment numbers.
  • U.S. Navy: Averaged around 39,000–42,000 recruits annually, consistently meeting or surpassing goals by emphasizing career growth opportunities and travel benefits. Military recruitment numbers were strong for the Navy during this time.
  • An Air Force recruiter speaks to a person.U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps: Smaller recruit numbers, generally targeting around 30,000 each, with a focus on specialized skills and training. USAF recruited about 33,000 people each of those years. The Marine Corps recruited roughly 151,700 people during this period, with an average of about 40,000 per year.
  • U.S. Coast Guard: The smallest among the branches with yearly recruitment goals around 4,000–5,000. The Coast Guard training center is equipped to train a little more than 4,000 recruits per year.
  • U.S. Space Force: The U.S. Space Force (USSF) was established in December 2019 so recruiting numbers for that branch of service prior to 2019 are not available because the service did not exist. The USSF relied heavily on Air Force transfers in order to staff its ranks early after its inception.

Pre-2020 trends suggest that interest in military service was steady, supported by strong economic conditions that allowed the military to offer competitive benefits.

Year-by-Year Military Recruitment Statistics (2020–2025)

The global pandemic disrupted nearly all aspects of life in 2020 and 2021, including military recruitment. Lockdowns and limited in-person interactions reduced direct engagement with potential recruits. Coupled with concerns over health risks, these factors caused setbacks.

A Marine recruiter stands with recruits after they signed their enlistment papers.

Basic training and military occupational training all took huge hits during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic grinded everything in the U.S. military to a halt.

Army and Navy fell short of their targets, recruiting 62,000 and 34,000 respectively in 2020.

The Marine Corps managed a slight shortfall, recruiting just more than 28,000.

The Air Force fared slightly better, closing its gap by utilizing virtual outreach. About 4,800 people entered the Air Force in the last quarter of 2021, compared to more than 7,100 who sought to become enlisted airmen during the same period in 2020. Enlisted recruiting targets remained low between the two years with the Air Force recruiting 26,641 in 2021 to 26,151 in 2022.

The Coast Guard, like other branches, experienced notable challenges due to reduced visibility, recruiting only about 3,200 personnel.

Recovery in 2022 and 2023

By 2022, military recruiters adapted to the realities of a post-COVID world. Enhanced digital recruitment campaigns and bonuses helped balance numbers.

Still, factors like the growing gap in technical job requirements and increasing college enrollment rates posed challenges. Recruit numbers varied between branches, with the Army still struggling to meet its quotas, while the Marines and Air Force performed relatively better.

It’s important to note that there is no proof that Defense Department initiatives or policies caused potential recruits to avoid enlistment. There are limited studies that were conducted that surveyed military aged personnel to ask them why they weren’t joining. Most stated that they did not join because they weren’t interested in military service. Their decisions had nothing to do with diversity, inclusion or vaccine mandates.

Granted, it is plausible that there are people in the ranks who might feel that way, but recruitment was not impacted by politics. American society has changed, as have the people that are in it, and military service just isn’t considered a viable option by some young Americans. In addition, many military-aged Americans are obese or have criminal histories, therefore, making them ineligible for military service.

A recruit speaks to Army recruiting personnel.

Military Recruitment Shortage in 2024

In 2024, the Army made its military recruitment numbers. The Army, tasked with recruiting about 55,000 personnel, met its goals. Similarly, the Navy made its recruitment goals of almost 41,000 new recruits. The Coast Guard also crushed their recruiting, bringing in more than 5,000 recruits onto active duty and into the Coast Guard Reserve.

The Air Force also exceeded its recruiting goals by enlisting more than 27,000 airmen. Similarly, the Space Force recruited more than 700 Guardians, exceeding its recruiting goals. Lastly, the Marine Corps exceeded its recruiting goals by one recruit in 2024.

Clearly, the services did not have recruitment issues in 2024. It seems that there was a lull in recruitment that started because of COVID-19, but once the Defense Department regrouped and reattacked recruitment, the numbers show that there is no proof that military recruitment was down due to diversity, inclusion or vaccine programs.

The Shortage in Military Recruitment Numbers

Since we broached the topic of false information, it’s important to share the reasons for previous shortages in military recruitment numbers. They are: 

  • Competitive Civilian Job Market: With unemployment rates at historic lows, traditional incentives like scholarships or signing bonuses are less appealing.
  • Health and Academic Standards: Reports show that about 70 percent of potential recruits in 2024 are disqualified due to health, academic, or criminal background issues.
  • Public Perception: War weariness and changing cultural attitudes have contributed to declining interest in military careers.
  • Memorandum and Recruiting Restrictions: Budget restrictions and fewer incentives in some regions limit the recruitment process.
A Space Force officer recruiter speaks to a group of people.

Looking Ahead to 2025

Military leaders predict 2025 will be critical. Each branch is expected to revamp its strategies to address shortfalls by leveraging technologies like AI-driven recruitment tools, better aligning recruitment incentives to the needs of Gen Z, and improving outreach in underrepresented demographics.

Projected recruitment goals for 2025 include:

  • Army aiming for 61,000 recruits. A goal it met in June 2025.
  • Navy targeting 40,600 recruits. A goal it met in June 2025.
  • Marine Corps is trying to enlist approximately 32,000 recruits.
  • Air Force is focusing on enlisting 32,500 recruits.
  • Space Force is trying to enlist 800 recruits.

Coast Guard, with its smaller force, expecting approximately 4,300 new members. Officials believe they will make their goal as they have recruited 4,250 recruits as of May 2025.

Is U.S. Military Recruitment Up or Down?

While military recruitment has shown resilience in the face of challenges, the overall trend points to significant pressures. For most branches, recruitment has generally been down since 2020.

That said, innovative recruitment programs, increased educational benefits, and a renewed commitment to quality-of-life programs may give the military a fighting chance to bounce up in 2025.

Coast Guard divers wave at visitors at a recruitment event.

What Lies Ahead for U.S. Military Recruitment?

Military recruitment numbers tell a story of shifting priorities, challenges, and opportunities. While 2020 marks one of the most difficult years to recruit, future-oriented strategies focusing on inclusivity, technology, and education may guide the Armed Forces toward success.

But time is of the essence. It’s not just about filling quotas; it’s about maintaining readiness and ensuring the nation’s security in uncertain times.

Written by Jared Zabaldo

Jared Zabaldo is a U.S. Army veteran and entrepreneur, known for founding USA Military Medals (USAMM). During his military service, he worked as a military journalist (46Q), where he covered a range of stories while deployed in Iraq. His journalism and military experience shaped his leadership skills and business acumen. After leaving the service, he used this background to create USAMM, a company offering military insignia and custom ribbon racks. Under his leadership, the business has grown into a major e-commerce operation serving millions of veterans nationwide.

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