Army Recruitment Surges Under Trump’s Leadership and Hegseth’s Direction [WATCH]

The U.S. Army announced that December 2024 marked its most successful recruiting month in 15 years, with nearly 350 new enlistees joining daily.

Army officials shared the news on Tuesday through social media, celebrating the milestone.

“Our Recruiters have one of the toughest jobs – inspiring the next generation of #Soldiers to serve. Congratulations and keep up the great work! #BAYCB,” Army recruiting officials wrote in a post on X.

.@USAREC had their most productive December in 15 years by enlisting 346 Soldiers daily into the World’s greatest #USArmy!

Our Recruiters have one of the toughest jobs – inspiring the next generation of #Soldiers to serve.

Congratulations and keep up the great work! #BAYCB pic.twitter.com/nEpuP9akZM

— U.S. Army (@USArmy) February 4, 2025

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also acknowledged the achievement, attributing the surge in enlistments to the current administration’s leadership.

“BOTTOM LINE: America’s youth want to serve under the bold & strong ‘America First’ leadership of [President Donald Trump] @realDonaldTrump,” Hegseth posted on X.

BREAKING: In December 2024, the @USArmy had its best recruiting number in 12 years.

In January 2025, the Army hit its best recruiting number in 15 YEARS.

BOTTOM LINE: America’s youth want to serve under the bold & strong “America First” leadership of @realDonaldTrump.

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) February 4, 2025

Pete Hegseth called it in early December on Megyn Kelly’s show:

“The amount of messages I’ve gotten from guys and gals saying ‘I wasn’t going to join, I’m 18, but I joined because President Trump was elected and you’re going to be the Secretary of Defense… We are on the cusp of a recruiting renaissance.”
– @PeteHegseth

FULL:… pic.twitter.com/MutJsOHkBL

— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) December 4, 2024

The recent recruiting success follows the Army’s October 2023 rollout of major changes aimed at improving enlistment efforts.

These adjustments included broadening recruitment efforts to attract a larger share of the labor market and forming a specialized talent acquisition workforce.

To streamline the enlistment process, the Army deployed additional medical providers to Military Entrance Processing Stations across the country, reducing delays and making it easier for new recruits to complete the necessary steps.

The Army also adopted new technology to better identify potential candidates and engage a wider audience.

Additionally, the Future Soldier Preparatory Course saw further expansion.

This program was designed to help recruits meet academic and physical fitness requirements before entering basic training.

Army officials emphasized that these changes were made to increase recruitment numbers without compromising quality.

Despite these improvements, the U.S. military fell short of its recruiting goals by 41,000 enlistees in 2023.

In 2024, the Army announced a force reduction of 24,000 troops as part of a restructuring effort aimed at optimizing the service for future conflicts.

The nearly 5% cut primarily affected vacant positions that had not been filled.

The Army’s December 2024 success represents a significant turnaround in recruiting efforts, as officials continue working to rebuild troop numbers and ensure readiness for future operations.

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