Army Reserve reaches recruiting goal for the first time in a decade

The Army reached its enlistment goal for its Reserve component for the first time in a decade.

“You achieved something monumental,” Brig. Gen. Sara Dudley, commander of the Army Recruiting Division, said in an email to division personnel. “This success belongs to the entire team. Recruiters, guidance counselors, support personnel, civilians, leaders at every echelon, and families who carried the load beside you all contributed to this moment. This was heavy lifting across the entire formation, and you got it done.”

The Army shared her note in a news release Friday.

The Recruiting Division had a goal to enlist 14,322 people and reached it before the end of the fiscal year, which is Wednesday, said Capt. Jaxon Lewandowski, spokesman for the Army Recruiting Division. That’s up from 12,428 in fiscal year 2025.

More information with final recruiting statistics for this year will be available in a few months, he said.

The military services have largely recovered from a recruiting slump sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, but the Reserve recruiting challenge predated that. Recruiting for Reserve units not only requires recruiters who can find qualified candidates, but certain specialty units are regionally located across the country, making geography a factor.

The division renewed its emphasis on the Reserve component and prioritized vacancies this year, which helped boost enlistments, Lewandowski said.

“Recruiters adapted their approach to applicants’ interests and qualifications while connecting qualified individuals with Army Reserve opportunities,” he said.

It also provided nearly 55% of enlistees an enlistment bonus and used the Future Soldier Preparatory Course to help 2,154 recruits meet the physical and academic qualifications to attend basic training. That’s four recruits fewer than it sent to the course.

At a conference last month at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Reserve Recruiting Partnership Council also credited the Army Reserve Ambassador program, in which influential civilians volunteer to promote awareness of the Army Reserve.

The program was “vital” to this year’s breakthrough by opening doors previously closed to recruiters, the Army said. That included high schools previously unwilling to allow recruiters to set up informational tables.