The Pentagon is currently embroiled in a dispute between the Trump and Biden administrations over who deserves credit for improving military recruitment numbers after years of decline.
President Trump has claimed that his administration’s changes at the Defense Department, including reducing diversity training and other “woke” programs, have led to significant enlistment improvements. During his March address to Congress, Mr. Trump highlighted January as “the single best recruiting month in 15 years” for the Army, attributing this success to his “America First” agenda and restoration of pride in military service.
However, members of the Biden administration counter that the recruitment turnaround was already underway before Trump took office. They point out that Army Secretary Christine Wormuth had announced the service was on track to exceed its 2025 enlistment goals for the second consecutive year, with first-quarter contracts at their highest rate in a decade.
The military had faced severe recruiting challenges for about ten years as U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan decreased. Other factors complicating recruitment included competition with the private sector amid low unemployment, the COVID-19 pandemic closing recruiting stations, and the fact that only about 25% of young adults meet military qualification standards without waivers.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Army infantry officer, argues that young people now want to join because they’re attracted to the traditional military mission rather than the previous administration’s emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Experts like Taren Sylvester from the Center for a New American Security suggest it’s premature to determine which administration deserves credit. She notes that recruitment has been gradually improving over the last couple of years, with numbers significantly better than in 2022-2023. The military has also been updating its recruiting approaches, with the Army creating a dedicated recruiting career field.
Ms. Sylvester estimates it will take 3-5 years of data to determine whether current positive trends represent a lasting improvement in military recruitment.
Read more: Trump, Hegseth claim credit to recruiting success but the cause is contested
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