The Defense Department's armed services branches recruited 12.5% more people in fiscal year 2024 than in the year prior despite a difficult and indifferent recruiting market.

Katie Helland job Director of Military Accessions Policy Katie Helland speaks to members of the media throughout a panel on 2025 recruiting goals at the Pentagon, 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 issues at the Pentagon previously this week, Director job of Military Accession Policy Katie Helland stated that the services increased the variety of employees from 200,000 in FY 2023 to 225,000 in FY 2024, job which ended September 30.

Additionally, she said, the services had a 35% increase in composed agreements, and job the active elements' postponed entry program started FY 2025 with a 10% bigger pool.

" [The Office of the Secretary of Defense] and the services will continue to construct off the momentum that we have actually acquired 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 propensity to serve, limited familiarity with military chances, a competitive labor market and a decreasing eligibility among young people."

Helland elaborated on those difficulties by explaining that, for the very first time given that the metric has actually been tracked, the majority of youths have never ever considered the option of serving in the military.

The reasons behind that are multifold, Helland said. Young Americans have fewer ties to friends or relative who have served in the military. There is a decreasing presence of veterans in our society. Approximately 77% of people between the ages of 17 and 24 need some kind of waiver to serve due to any number of disqualifications.

To counter such difficulties, Helland said the armed force has actually carried out a medical pilot program that allows recruits to sign up with the military without a waiver for many health conditions - provided they meet specific requirements. Additionally, there are service member preparation courses that prepare employees to fulfill the laborious requirements of military service. Moreover, DOD is looking for to reconnect with youth and their influencers by showing them the value of serving.

" The next generation of Americans to serve should know that there has actually 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 2025 recruiting goals at the Pentagon, Oct. 30, 2024. Share:. ×. Share. Copy Link. Email. Facebook. X. LinkedIn. WhatsApp

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" Youth today seek a larger function in their lives and desire tasks where they have greater participation in decision-making and can create a direct concrete impact," she continued. "Military service offers all of this."

Explaining that U.S. military service provides more than 250 occupations and that it represents among the most extremely educated organizations throughout the world and throughout all pay grades, Helland said the Defense Department is striving to counter the narrative that joining the military 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 pathway to greater education and career opportunities while defending democracy and the flexibilities we love," Helland stated.

She included that DOD is this story. For example, the department's Joint Advertising Marketing research and Studies program will soon introduce a campaign to build familiarity with the American public about the value of military service. Plans are also proceeding to have adult influencers advocate for military service.