--- title: "Army reaches its recruiting goal several months early" description: "The Army met its recruitment target for the third year in a row, and at the highest number in that time period." date: "2026-05-23" modified: "2026-05-23" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/military-life/army-beats-2026-recruiting-goal/" categories: - "Army" - "Military Branches" - "Military Life" - "News" --- # Army reaches its recruiting goal several months early ![U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Gregory K. Anderson, commanding general of the XVIII Airborne Corps, conducts the oath of enlistment for 64 future U.S. Soldiers during the 85th National Airborne Day celebration at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville, N.C., Aug. 16, 2025. This event commemorated paratroopers past and present, celebrating 85 years of U.S. airborne history with events at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum (ASOM).]() *Future soldiers recite the oath of enlistment at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville, N.C. on Aug. 16, 2025. Army photo by Spc. Richard Morgan.* The Army successfully hit its recruiting goal for the 2026 fiscal year, more than four months ahead of its deadline. The Army [announced]() on Saturday that it reached its goal of signing 61,500 people for active-duty contracts. It’s the third year in a row that the Army met its recruitment goal, after falling short in 2022 and 2023. It also is the second year in a row that it beat the deadline by roughly four months; in 2025 the Army hit the milestone in the first week of June. The fiscal year closes at the end of September. According to the Army’s release on meeting its recruitment goal, the service credited “innovative outreach, enhanced career incentives, and a focus on critical technical skills” with helping bring in the new soldiers, although the announcement was vague on what those moves were. However, the service has continued several programs created over the past few years that have helped to bring in more recruits and assist them in meeting standards for military service. The Army's Future Soldier Preparatory Course, started as a pilot program in 2022 before becoming permanent, has helped tens of thousands of people train and study in order to meet the Army's academic and physical requirements. The 90-day course was created to help overcome recent enlistment shortfalls by helping those who want to serve. Last year, when the Army [met its goal]() of 61,000 new recruits, Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll specifically credited the preparatory program for helping with that success, noting it helped those who were "right on the edge" of being able to join. The Army has also offered increased enlistment bonuses, while revamping its outreach to the public with new ad blitzes, including bringing back the “Be All You Can Be” campaign. Last year the Army celebrated its 250th birthday with several high-profile events. Alongside greater incentives and support programs, the Army has also expanded its pool of recruits. That included [raising the maximum enlistment age]() to 42 — lining up more with the age limits of other service branches — and changed some policies tied to drug-related convictions. The Army did away with a regulation that required a waiver for recruits who had a single conviction for possessing drug paraphernalia or marijuana; the waiver also required a two-year wait before being granted. The Army isn’t alone in hitting its goals early this fiscal year. Both the Air Force and Space Force [met their enlistment goals]() in April, five months ahead of schedule, although the two branches had smaller targets. The Department of Defense has invested heavily in outreach and programs to boost enlistment. Between 2022-2024, the military spent more than [$6 billion]() on programs and campaigns to recruit and retain service members. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()