What a difference a real commander-in-chief can make. After drastically moving away from “wokeness” in recruiting, the U.S. Army has smashed its active-duty recruiting goal for fiscal year 2025—reaching 61,000 new enlistees by early June, nearly four months ahead of the September 30 deadline. It’s the first time since 2014 the Army has hit its target this early, and the milestone is being hailed as proof that competent leadership and mission-focused priorities can reverse years of missed marks and sagging morale.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently laid out a plan for a strong military, and it’s clearly working.
After falling short in 2022 and 2023, wrote CBS News, the Army’s dramatic turnaround stems from a decisive pivot: ditching gimmicks and recommitting to standards. Among the most successful reforms is the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, launched in 2022 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, to help borderline recruits meet physical and academic thresholds. The program now accounts for one in four recruits, with officials expecting it could support up to a third of this year’s total enlistments.
Meanwhile, the Army has overhauled its recruiting corps—shifting from short-term staffing to a cadre of full-time professionals—and juiced incentives, offering up to $50,000 in bonuses for hard-to-fill roles. These structural reforms have produced results: the Army reports a 56% jump in daily contracts over last year and 14,000 recruits already lined up through the Delayed Entry Program for 2026.
Critics once blamed the Army’s woes on “changing demographics” and “economic headwinds,” but the success of these reforms under new leadership—backed by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—suggests a simpler truth: young Americans are still willing to serve when the military sends a clear message of strength, competence, and patriotism. That message is resonating now more than ever.
Though former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth insisted earlier this year that DEI policies didn’t hurt recruitment, her tenure ended as these very priorities were rolled back in favor of programs that prioritize mission-readiness over social engineering.
With a recruitment target 10% higher than last year’s and momentum building, the Army’s early success is more than just a number—it’s a signal. America’s military is back to doing what it does best: setting high standards, rising to meet them, and preparing the next generation of warriors to defend the nation.
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