The Defense Department's armed services branches hired 12.5% more people in fiscal year 2024 than in the year prior in spite of a challenging and disinterested recruiting market.

Katie Helland Director employment of Military Accessions Policy Katie Helland speaks with members of the media throughout a panel on fiscal year 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: Flying Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie Sanders, DOD. VIRIN: 241030-D-XI929-1004

While speaking at a multiservice panel on 2025 hiring problems at the Pentagon previously this week, Director employment of Military Accession Policy Katie Helland said that the services increased the variety of recruits from 200,000 in FY 2023 to 225,000 in FY 2024, which ended September 30.

Additionally, she said, the services had a 35% increase in composed contracts, and the active components' postponed entry program started FY 2025 with a 10% larger pool.

" [The Office of the Secretary of Defense] and the services will continue to build off the momentum that we have actually gotten in 2024," Helland said.

" Nevertheless," she continued, "we need to remain very carefully positive about the future recruiting operations as we continue to hire in a market that has low youth propensity to serve, limited familiarity with military chances, a competitive labor market and a declining eligibility among young adults."

Helland elaborated on those challenges by discussing that, for the very first time considering that the metric has been tracked, a lot of youths have never considered the option of serving in the armed force.

The factors behind that are multifold, Helland said. Young Americans have fewer ties to buddies or family members who have actually 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 require some kind of waiver to serve due to any number of disqualifications.

To counter such challenges, Helland said the armed force has executed a medical pilot program that allows recruits to sign up with the armed force without a waiver for employment many health conditions - offered they fulfill certain requirements. Additionally, there are service member prep courses that prepare recruits to meet the exhausting requirements of military service. Moreover, DOD is looking for to reconnect with youth and their influencers by revealing them the value of serving.

" The next generation of Americans to serve should know that there has never ever been a better time for them to choose military service," Helland stated.

Panel Pentagon Press Secretary Flying Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder facilitates a panel on 2025 recruiting objectives at the Pentagon, Oct. 30, 2024. Share:. ×. Share. Copy Link. Email. Facebook. X. LinkedIn. WhatsApp

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" Youth today look for a larger function in their lives and desire jobs where they have greater participation in decision-making and can produce a direct tangible impact," she continued. "Military service offers all of this."

Explaining that U.S. military service offers more than 250 which it represents among the most highly informed companies throughout the world and throughout all pay grades, Helland employment stated the Defense Department is working hard to counter the narrative that joining the armed force is an alternative to participating in college or "a choice of last hope."

" We are working to reframe this narrative so that Americans understand that military service is a pathway to greater education and career opportunities while protecting democracy and the liberties we hold dear," Helland said.

She added that DOD is reframing this story. For instance, the department's Joint Advertising Marketing research and Studies program will soon launch a project to build familiarity with the American public about the worth of military service. Plans are likewise proceeding to have adult influencers promote for military service.