Navy Secretary John Phelan took to social media Wednesday evening to announce that the Navy had reached its enlistment goal for fiscal 2025.
The Navy met its goal three months ahead of schedule, recruiting 40,600 sailors, according to a post on X.
“This is a critical time in history, the world is more complex and more contested than it has been in decades and our ability to respond starts with our greatest asset, our people,” Phelan said in a video accompanying the post.
Phelan touted the milestone as emblematic of the service’s recruiting efforts. The service has implemented changes in recent years, including raising the enlistment age to 41 and eliminating the high school diploma requirement, to recruit more sailors, as recruiting struggles have plagued the U.S. military.
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After missing its recruiting targets for the first time in fiscal 2023, the Navy bounced back in fiscal 2024, surpassing its accessions target of 46,000 recruits with 40,978 new sailors.
As part of the fiscal 2024 turnaround, the Navy refilled its drained delayed entry program — a program that allows recruits time between signing up to serve and becoming active duty — while deciding to accept more recruits who scored in the bottom 30% in testing. The service at the time also attributed success to “data-driven decision-making,” cutting down the time to process medical waivers and “expanding opportunities.”
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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