(USNewsBreak.com) – The US military has had a hard time reaching its recruitment goals in the past few years. Several branches have failed to meet their established quotas, which many fear will lead to a military readiness concern. To combat these shortages, the military has had to adopt new (or bring back old) approaches. Now, the Army is introducing a new recruiting tactic, trying to attract those on a career track.
Army Misses Its Goals
In fiscal year (FY) 2023, which ended on September 30, the US Army fell short by 10,000 soldiers. It had hoped to recruit a total of 65,000. This isn’t the first year the military branch struggled, though. In FY 2022, it had a goal of recruiting 60,000 and only managed 45,000.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth acknowledged these shortfalls in a recent press briefing, saying, “The job market has changed significantly over the past 20 years.” Yet, the Army has remained stagnant, which has led to challenges in bringing young soldiers to recruiting doors.
Taking on a New Approach
Typically, the Army recruits soldiers for temporary assignments. When they sign up, they make a short-term commitment of a period between two and six years. After that time period is up, they can choose to re-enlist or to rejoin the civilian workforce.
Now, the Army wants to expand its pool by recruiting in more places, such as job fairs and college campuses, whereas, in the past, it focused mostly on high school students. To do this, it needs to expand its recruiting offices as well. According to Army Gen. Randy George and Secretary Wormuth, the plan is to consolidate the Army’s marketing office and Recruiting Command into one office to be headed up by a three-star general. In addition, the commander’s term would be extended from two years to four in the position.
Another of the Army’s new approaches is to create a new military occupational specialty (MOS), recruiters who will be designated talent acquisition specialists. This would create a permanent position for recruiters, which are normally short-term positions that last three years.
The military branch has already established a Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which gives aspiring soldiers time to reach compliance with enrollment requirements ahead of basic training.
For the next fiscal year, the Army has yet to set a firm recruitment goal. Yet, according to Wormuth, it will likely be lower than the 65,000 set for FY23 to allow the Army time to roll out the new changes.
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