The Defense Department’s armed services branches hired 12.5% more individuals in financial year 2024 than in the year prior regardless of a tough and disinterested recruiting market.

Katie Helland Director of Military Accessions Policy Katie Helland talks to members of the media during a panel on fiscal year 2025 recruiting objectives at the Pentagon, Oct. 30, 2024. Share: × Share Copy Link Email Facebook X. LinkedIn. WhatsApp

Download: employment 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 issues at the Pentagon earlier this week, Director 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 stated, the services had a 35% boost in written agreements, and employment the active elements’ postponed entry program began FY 2025 with a 10% bigger swimming pool.

” [The Office of the Secretary of Defense] and the services will continue to build off the momentum that we’ve acquired in 2024,” Helland stated.

” Nevertheless,” she continued, “we need to remain carefully positive about the future recruiting operations as we continue to hire in a market that has low youth propensity to serve, restricted familiarity with military chances, a competitive labor market and a decreasing eligibility among young people.”

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

The factors behind that are multifold, Helland said. Young Americans have fewer ties to buddies or relative who have actually served in the military. There is a decreasing existence 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 variety of disqualifications.

To counter such challenges, Helland said the armed force has actually implemented a medical pilot program that enables employees to sign up with the armed force without a waiver for various health conditions - provided they fulfill particular requirements. Additionally, there are service member prep courses that prepare employees to satisfy the laborious requirements of military service. Moreover, DOD is seeking to reconnect with youth and their influencers by showing them the value of serving.

” The next generation of Americans to serve should understand that there has actually never been a much better time for them to choose military service,” Helland stated.

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

Download: Full Size (266.24 KB). Credit: employment Flying Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie Sanders, DOD. VIRIN: 241030-D-XI929-1016

” Youth today seek a larger purpose in their lives and desire jobs where they have higher involvement in decision-making and can produce a direct concrete effect,” she continued. “Military service offers all of this.”

Explaining that U.S. military service uses more than 250 professions which it represents one of the most extremely informed organizations throughout the world and throughout all pay grades, Helland said the Defense Department is striving to counter the narrative that joining the armed force is an alternative to attending college or “a choice of last resort.”

” We are working to reframe this story so that Americans understand that military service is a pathway to greater education and career chances while safeguarding democracy and the liberties we love,” Helland said.

She added that DOD is reframing this narrative. For example, the department’s Joint Advertising Marketing research and Studies program will soon launch a project to build familiarity with the American public about the value of military service. Plans are also continuing to have adult influencers promote for military service.