The Army is standing up two regional recruiting commands to oversee the five recruiting brigades responsible for enlisting new recruits.

Slated to be fully operational by summer 2025, the new command headquarters—the first of their kind—will be in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Each will have about 30 personnel commanded by a deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, according to an Army news release.

The east command in Atlanta will oversee the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Recruiting Brigades, while the west command in Los Angeles will oversee the 4th and 5th Recruiting Brigades. Office locations for the commands have not yet been determined, according to the release.

Atlanta and Los Angeles were chosen for their travel accessibility, community engagement, quality of life and proximity to military installations, according to the release. The goal of establishing the new regional commands is to “enhance communication and improve the service’s ability to attract and retain a high-quality workforce,” the release says.

“We’re going to improve the relationships with local leaders in these locations, which will open doors for our recruiters and help us to synchronize our message,” Brig. Gen. Sara Dudley, Recruiting Command’s deputy commanding general for operations, said in the release. “Our goal is to provide the Army with the right mix of people so our formations can excel.”

The regional headquarters decision is part of the Army’s aggressive efforts to confront a difficult recruiting environment and comes about a year after Army senior leaders announced major changes to the recruiting enterprise.

As part of those efforts, Army recruiting has updated its training programs; added two new recruiter MOSs, including a new warrant officer recruiting specialty; expanded the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which helps potential recruits meet the service’s academic or physical requirements; developed the Go Recruit mobile application; and restructured Recruiting Command by incorporating the Army Enterprise Marketing Office.

After missing its recruiting goals for two years, the Army exceeded its 2024 goal of 55,000 recruits. It also more than doubled its goal for the delayed entry program, adding another 11,000 future recruits.

“Our investment in people and the Army’s investment in recruiting made fiscal year 2024 a success,” Maj. Gen. Johnny Davis, commanding general of Army Recruiting Command, said in the release. “There are no words to express how proud I am of the hardworking recruiters that crushed it in every community.”

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth announced in October that the service’s fiscal year 2025 goal is to recruit 61,000 new soldiers and add another 10,000 to the delayed entry program.

“Expanding our footprint in densely populated cities like Los Angeles and Atlanta will help us to better engage community leaders, respond to a changing environment and recruit the highest quality Army personnel possible,” said Brig. Gen. Fred Hockett, Recruiting Command’s deputy commanding general for support.