U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Hit Recruiting Targets, Reversing Gaps
The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard have both hit their recruiting targets, ending the gap in accession numbers seen in FY2023. The addition of new personnel is essential to reversing manning issues in both services, and Navy and Coast Guard recruiters have been working hard to engineer a turnaround.
The Navy celebrated the success of its recruiters and their support staff at Navy recruiting command, especially since the service had raised its targets for enlisted personnel to make up for last year's gap. The service brought in just shy of 41,000 recruits, more than it has attracted in any of the past 20 years - so many that they can't all fit into boot camp at once.
"Our recruiters generated such a high rate of improvement that we were not able to ship them all in FY24 . . . but those new future sailors will flow to Recruit Training Command this fall as we take on the FY25 mission," said Rear Adm. James Waters, Commander of Navy Recruiting Command (NRC). "This is a tremendous achievement, and it’s all thanks to the relentless dedication, professionalism, and hard work our recruiters have put in over the past year."
To get there, NRC set up a "recruiting operations center" to troubleshoot issues for recruiters and provide a "single source of truth" on process details. The command removed its monthly targets to focus on full-year performance, aligning day-to-day management with annual goals. Much of the Navy's success came in the second half in the fiscal year, from April through September, when these changes began to pay off.
Critically, NRC also overhauled the way that it grants medical waivers to bypass conditions that might otherwise prevent a candidate from serving. Recruiters say that the Pentagon's introduction of electronic medical record screening has negatively affected recruitment numbers, as candidates can no longer conceal potentially-disqualifying conditions on their paperwork. Commonplace medical issues now require a complex and lengthly waiver process, even if the event occurred years before and has no bearing on ability to serve. The wait for a waiver often delays contract signing by weeks or months, and in this extra time period, the candidate has the opportunity to change their mind and pick a different job instead - especially in a competitive hiring market.
Coast Guard beats all recruiting targets
The U.S. Coast Guard recovered from a slump in the first half and exceeded all of its targets for the first time since 2017, including enlisted active duty, the Reserve, and non-academy officer program accessions.
Since 2022, the Coast Guard has opened new recruiting offices in areas previously not covered by onsite personnel, and it added 95 new recruiting billets to process applicants. It also added a bonus program called Scout Talent and Refer (STAR), which awards $1,000 for any Coast Guard member or employee who refers a recruit.
"By exceeding this year’s recruiting mission, we are building a stronger Coast Guard, leaving the service better prepared for tomorrow’s challenges," said Capt. Ben Keffer, commanding officer of Coast Guard Recruiting Command (CGRC). "We encourage Coast Guard members and employees to keep telling your friends about careers in the Coast Guard and to keep up their great work."