Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin congratulates new recruits at the Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station after administering the oath of enlistment, Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at Fort Meade, Md. (Chad J. McNeeley/Defense Department)
FORT MEADE, Md. — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday urged the crowd outside the Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station to relax as he prepared to administer the oath of enlistment to 85 recruits under a sweltering summer sun.
“Please, relax everyone,” he told the group. “Just relax. It’s a little warm out here.”
Recruits had been waiting outside close to 30 minutes during a humid Maryland day, practicing where they would stand during Austin’s speech and when they would raise their hand to join the military.
The recruits were sworn in across the service branches, with 67 joining the active-duty force and 18 signing up for the reserves, according to a Fort Meade official. In the active-duty recruits, 49 are in the Army, 13 in the Marine Corps and five in the Navy. Later Wednesday, the recruits were sent to their assigned bases for basic training.
The swearing-in of recruits comes as the military struggles to attract enough new troops into the service.
Eighty-five recruits were sworn in by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to the armed forces on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at Fort Meade, Md. (Matthew Adams/Stars and Stripes)
The Army fell short of its most recent recruiting goal of 60,000 by more than 25%, signing up fewer than 45,000 new soldiers in 2022. This year, the Army’s goal is 65,000 new soldiers.
The Air Force’s active-duty target for 2023 is almost 27,000 new recruits — a number that leaders in the service have already said they won’t reach. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall during a panel discussion on June 22 said the Air Force would miss its active duty recruiting mark by about 10%.
The Navy barely met its active-duty enlistment goal last year, surpassing its target of 33,400 by 42 people. Its goal is to sign up almost 38,000 new sailors before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, but service officials expect to miss that target.
Austin on Wednesday told the recruits during the oath ceremony that he entered the Army two years after the draft ended and served for 41 years until his retirement in 2016. He said he knows first-hand that recruits are considering whether to spend one term in the military or make it a career. In either case, he applauded their commitment.
“America’s all-volunteer force is the strongest military in human history. And the power of today’s military is a testament to every American patriot who freely volunteers to keep our republic safe,” he said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks to 85 military recruits before they are officially sworn into the service on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at Fort Meade, Md. (Matthew Adams/Stars and Stripes)
