The Defense Department's armed services branches hired 12.5% more individuals in 2024 than in the year prior in spite of a challenging and indifferent recruiting market.

Katie Helland Director of Military Accessions Policy Katie Helland speaks to members of the media during a panel on 2025 recruiting goals at the Pentagon, Oct. 30, 2024.
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Credit: Flying Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie Sanders, DOD.
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While speaking at a multiservice panel on 2025 hiring concerns at the Pentagon previously this week, Director of Military Accession Policy Katie Helland said that the services increased the number of employees from 200,000 in FY 2023 to 225,000 in FY 2024, which ended September 30.

Additionally, she said, the services had a 35% increase in composed agreements, and the active elements' delayed entry program began FY 2025 with a 10% larger 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 require to remain carefully positive about the future recruiting operations as we continue to hire in a market that has low youth tendency to serve, minimal familiarity with military chances, a competitive labor market and a declining eligibility amongst young people."

Helland elaborated on those obstacles by discussing that, for the very first time since the metric has actually been tracked, many young individuals have actually never considered the choice of serving in the armed force.

The reasons behind that are multifold, Helland stated. Young Americans have fewer ties to pals or member of the family who have served in the military. There is a decreasing existence of veterans in our society. Approximately 77% of people in between the ages of 17 and 24 require some type of waiver to serve due to any variety of disqualifications.

To counter such challenges, Helland said the armed force has executed a medical pilot program that permits employees to join the armed force without a waiver for various health conditions - provided they meet particular requirements. Additionally, there are service member prep courses that prepare recruits to satisfy the exhausting requirements of military service. Moreover, DOD is looking for to reconnect with youth and their influencers by showing them the worth of serving.

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

Panel Pentagon Press Secretary Flying Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder facilitates a panel on 2025 recruiting goals at the Pentagon, Oct. 30, 2024.
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" Youth today seek a bigger function in their lives and desire jobs where they have greater involvement in decision-making and can develop a direct concrete effect," she continued. "Military service offers all of this."

Explaining that U.S. military service provides more than 250 occupations which it represents one of the most highly informed organizations throughout the world and employment throughout all pay grades, Helland stated the Defense Department is working hard to counter the story that signing up with the armed force is an alternative to participating in college or "a choice of last option."

" We are working to reframe this narrative so that Americans comprehend that military service is a pathway to greater education and profession opportunities while defending democracy and the liberties we love," Helland said.

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