ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Assessment and selection for special operations soldiers has lagged the past two years as the Army struggled to meet its recruiting numbers, said Gen. Bryan Fenton, commanding general of U.S. Special Operations Command.

Still, he expressed optimism that the Army’s effort to overcome the national military recruiting challenge bodes well for special operations.

The Pentagon has lifted its restrictions on more than 50 medical conditions that used to disqualify a potential recruit from joining the military.

The effort has helped thousands of previously disqualified young people join the military as the services, including the Army, contend with a tough recruiting environment.

The Army met its recruiting mission through “historic changes” implemented by senior leaders and by dedicated recruiters who seized the momentum, the commanding general of Army Recruiting Command said.

“We’ve witnessed historic changes that generated incredible positive momentum for us in the Army,” Maj. Gen. Johnny Davis said in remarks at a DoD news conference.

Bolstered by sweeping changes to how it recruits, markets and harnesses innovation, Army officials announced that the service has met its fiscal year 2024 recruiting goal.

An upcoming Association of the U.S. Army webinar will focus on the Army’s recruiting and marketing efforts.

Part of AUSA’s Noon Report series, the webinar on Sept. 24 will feature Maj. Gen. Johnny Davis, commanding general of Army Recruiting Command, and Brig. Gen. Antoinette Gant, chief of the Army Enterprise Marketing Office.

The Army is focused on transformation as it works to build the force of 2040, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said.

“The Army is transforming in three different time frames,” Wormuth said during the recent 2024 Defense News Conference. “There's the 10 years and beyond timeframe, where we are really focused on our new Army warfighting concept 2040, then we've got sort of the midterm time period, … [and] then we're trying to look at the here and now.”

“Significant and urgent action” is needed to prepare the United States for the national security threats it’s facing today, said the leaders of a commission tasked by Congress.

Military recruiters are having trouble accessing potential recruits at high schools, according to a recently released report from the Rand Corp.

“Recruiting at high schools is an effective method to successfully meet manning requirements of the all-volunteer force and ensure that the services have the troops they need to help defend the nation,” the report found. “However, recruiters have been facing challenges in accessing high schools.”