A new report claims that the U.S. military spent over $6 billion to recruit and retain military members over the last three years as the Defense Department worked to overcome multiple enlistment shortfalls.
According to military service funding totals obtained by The Associated Press, the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force significantly increase reenlistment incentives from 2022 to 2024. In addition to reenlistment incentives, The Associated Press reported that the number of recruitment bonuses also increased over the past three years.
According to The Associated Press, while the U.S. military has typically invested in recruitment and retention bonuses, the amount of spending used to recruit and retain military members skyrocketed amid the Pentagon’s efforts to stop enlistment numbers from plummeting during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Associated Press reported that the Navy was the only military service that did not meet its recruitment targets last year amid the Pentagon’s additional programs, recruitment and reenlistment incentives, and changes to enlistment requirements.
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According to The Associated Press, the Navy outspent each of the other military branches on recruitment bonuses from 2022 to 2024. The outlet noted that the Navy gave approximately 70,000 service members retention bonuses each of the past three years.
In March, Adm. James Kilby, vice chief of naval operations, told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee, “Navy is dedicated to retaining our most capable sailors; retention is a critical component of achieving our end-strength goals.”
In addition to spending hundreds of millions of dollars per year to recruit new troops, the Army has implemented new policies and programs to encourage young Americans to enlist in the Army, according to The Associated Press.
The Associated Press reported that one of the ways the Army has been able to overcome significant recruitment challenges is by launching the Future Soldier Prep Course at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. The Future Soldier Prep Course provides recruits with up to 90 days of fitness or academic instruction to help struggling recruits meet the military’s standards and qualify for basic training. According to The Associated Press, the program has helped the Army with thousands of enlistments.
