Navy to miss recruiting goals by 7,000

The service was initially expected to be 13,000 sailors short
The Navy has made changes to make enlistment more attractive
Other branches of the military are also having recruiting shortfalls

Updated: Sep 15, 2023 / 11:23 AM CDT

This picture taken on March 1, 2021 shows a view of the US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) arriving in Port Sudan. (Photo by – / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — During her confirmation hearing, acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti told Congress the Navy is expected to be 7,000 sailors short of fiscal year 2023 recruiting goals.

That number is actually better than expected, as Franchetti said at the start of the year the service was expected to fall short by 13,000 recruits.

The Navy isn’t the only service to struggle to attract young Americans to military service. Steps have been taken to increase recruitment, including requiring recruiters to work six days a week.

To make service more attractive, the Navy has raised the maximum recruitment bonus to $75,000 and has upped the maximum enlistment age to 41. The Navy is also allowing those who scored lower on the Armed Forces Qualification Test portion of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery to enlist.

Franchetti told lawmakers the Navy needs to do more to show Americans who don’t live near naval installations what the service has to offer.