The U.S. Army recently announced stellar recruiting numbers following the election of President Donald Trump. However, Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Army has issued a warning regarding the military’s enrollment numbers.
The official account of the U.S. Army announced on the X social media platform on Tuesday, “U.S. Army Recruiting had their most productive December in 15 years by enlisting 346 Soldiers daily into the world’s greatest U.S. Army! Our recruiters have one of the toughest jobs — inspiring the next generation of soldiers to serve. Congratulations and keep up the great work!”
‘America’s youth want to serve under the bold and strong “America First” leadership of Donald Trump.’
Newly appointed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth celebrated the Army recruiting figures on social media.
“In December 2024, the U.S. Army had its best recruiting number in 12 years. In January 2025, the Army hit its best recruiting number in 15 YEARS,” Hegseth wrote on the X social media platform.
Hegseth concluded, “BOTTOM LINE: America’s youth want to serve under the bold and strong ‘America First’ leadership of Donald Trump.”
During his confirmation hearing, Hegseth stated, “We’ve already seen it in recruiting numbers. There’s already been a surge since President Trump won the election.”
When asked about the most significant challenges facing him if confirmed as defense secretary, Hegseth replied, “If confirmed, I expect that one of my most significant challenges would be ensuring the Army recruits qualified candidates in sufficient numbers.”
Hegseth added, “I think that the decline in Army end strength in recent years is due to recruiting challenges rather than a conclusion that the Army required fewer soldiers to meet its national security objectives.”
“This has occurred during an era of increasing security challenges,” he continued. “Therefore, it is likely that the Army’s current end strength is insufficient to accomplish its mission.”
Hegseth vowed to “review the Army’s current recruitment and retention standards and solicit input from all levels of the Army to ensure that the right standards are in place.”
To remedy any recruiting issues, Hegseth explained that he would “consider all non-monetary options of expanding the pool of eligible recruits and improving Army recruiting, including alternative career routes, sabbaticals, desired duty station assignment, increased direct commissions for certain specialties, and others.”
The U.S. Army recruited 55,300 new active-duty soldiers during the fiscal year 2024 that ended on Sept. 30. The target number was 55,000 soldiers. In the two previous fiscal years, the Army recruited fewer than 51,000 soldiers.
Christine Wormuth, the outgoing Army secretary, told the Associated Press last month that the Army is on pace to bring in 61,000 soldiers by the end of the 2025 fiscal year. Plus, she noted that over 20,000 additional young people had signed up for the Future Soldier Preparatory Course for 2026.
However, Trump’s nominee for the secretary of the Army issued a warning that the United States needs more soldiers.
During his confirmation hearing, Army Secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll spoke on the topic of recruitment.
“We have the fewest number of active soldiers that we’ve had since World War II, even as conflict is erupting around the world. We need to fix that,” Driscoll declared.
Driscoll continued, “I actually don’t think the answer is throwing more money at the problem. I think it’s nice to get things like GI Bill benefits. But I didn’t join for that. I enlisted to serve the country.”
Driscoll is an Army veteran who served from 2007 to 2011. He was a cavalry scout platoon leader with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. Driscoll deployed to Iraq in 2009 for nine months. He earned his Ranger tab and Combat Action Badge, according to Task & Purpose.
Driscoll also previously served as a senior adviser for JD Vance.
In the December announcement of Driscoll’s nomination, Trump declared, “Dan brings a powerful combination of experiences to serve as a disruptor and change agent.”
The United States has faced military recruitment issues for the past decade.
The United States military missed its recruiting goal by 41,000 personnel across all branches in 2023.
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