(NewsNation) — The U.S. Army is optimistic that a program in its second year will boost enlistment and help the branch reach its recruitment goal by aiding recruits with their academic and physical fitness.
Across the military, services have faced challenges in convincing young Americans to join. Those services on track to hit their 2024 enlistment targets credit new incentives and training programs to help recruits meet strict standards.
Army representatives said earlier this year they expected to hit the service’s reduced enlistment goal of 55,000 recruits.
“I am happy to say last year’s recruiting transformation efforts have us on track to make this year’s recruiting mission, with thousands awaiting basic training” in the next year, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told the Associated Press in August.
Official recruitment numbers covering fiscal year 2024 — which runs from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024 — will be published early next year.
Despite uncertain recruitment success for this year, Army officials say an initiative that began as a pilot program in 2022 has helped prepare new soldiers to meet service requirements before entering basic training.
Army recruitment struggles
Despite offering sign-on bonuses and tuition reimbursement opportunities for service members, spouses and children, the military has been fighting an uphill battle to attract recruits.
Pentagon leaders blame the pandemic for severely restricting in-person recruiting efforts in high schools, a lack of connection with military service and a competitive private job market as reasons potential enlistees are not signing up.
The Army says it’s the most challenging labor market since the inception of the all-volunteer force.
About 71% of youth do not qualify for military service because of obesity, drugs, physical and mental health problems, misconduct and aptitude, according to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
More broadly, about 23% of Americans between the ages of 17-24 meet the military’s physical and educational standards.
Future Soldier Preparatory Course
Most branches have made changes to attract recruits. Those include raising the age for enlistment, modifying requirements to join and creating specialty programs to help with enlistment.
“This program is designed to reach out to populations who might not otherwise be able to serve,” said retired Army Maj. Chase Spears. “There’s certain levels of academic and physical fitness that you have to meet in order just to ship to basic training, among other standards.”
The Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course began as a pilot program in August 2022 to help prospective soldiers reach basic training standards in a 90-day window.
It boasted nearly 10,000 graduates in the year after its debut and now accounts for about 20% of Army recruits.
“It’s for those people who are considering military service…” Lt. Col. Andrew Pfeiffer said. “Don’t count yourself out. Just because you don’t meet the Army standards now, there might be a way for you to get to that point.”
In the academic track of the course, 95% of students who participated in the program’s first year increased their test scores by an average of 17 points. As for the fitness portion of the course, about 87% of students graduated within their first three weeks of the course, with an average weekly body fat loss of 1%.