The Army reached its recruiting goal for the 2024 fiscal year after dropping its requirement by 10,000 people compared to last year and launching a new prep course that graduated thousands.

The number of people recruited was largely flat around 55,000 in 2024 and 2023, Army numbers show. About 11,000 people entered the delayed entry program, well above last year’s number of about 4,600.

Still Maj. Gen. Johnny K. Davis, who leads the Army Recruiting Command, said recruiting momentum is strong and highlighted new programs to bring in new soldiers at a recent panel a few days ahead of the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

A new artificial intelligence program rolled out in five cities is helping identify potential recruits and a new warrant officer program will ensure expertise in the recruiting field, he said.

“It’s unbelievable to see the change that’s unfolding,” David said, during a panel hosted by the Association of the United States Army.

One of the most impactful programs is the new soldier prep course that brought in 16,000 soldiers in fiscal year 2024, Davis said. The prep course has graduated 27,000 recruits total.

The 90-day program helps potential soldiers achieve the physical and academic requirements to enlist. The courses have achieved a 95% physical success rate and increased test scores by 15 to 20 points, Davis said. Soldiers need a minimum score of 31 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery to enlist, but can qualify for the 90-day prep school with a score of 21. The Army maintains height and weight standards that the prep course helps them meet, rather than BMI standards.

The Army also started a program to reward those who refer their friends to the Army. The program has generated 75,000 referrals and 5,000 enlistments, Davis said.

The new programs arose out of necessity after the Army missed its recruiting goals for several years and the whole Department of Defense faced a tough recruiting environment with limited access to in-person events during the pandemic and a strong private sector. This year, all the branches met their goals, except the Navy.

The Air Force implemented some headline grabbing changes to reach their goal, such as allowing potential airmen to retest if they test positive for marijuana. The Army has been issuing such waivers since before the pandemic.

While unemployment has risen slightly among young people, which can help, the services are facing a new challenge, the total number of 18-year-olds is dropping nationally.

Davis said recruiting will need to look at a broader demographic in the future and some of that shift is already happening, he said. The average age of Army recruits is about 22.

“We are seeing a more mature applicant pool,” he said.

The new artificial intelligence program, called Recruit 360, will also help ensure recruiters are targeting people who are likely to join. The service will comb through 30 million files looking for 1,700 variables, Davis said.

Another major challenge for all the services, has been Military Health System Genesis, which has identified more potentially disqualifying medical conditions leading to more waiver requests.

Davis said during a media event the new electronic health record system has helped the Army identify those conditions where they are nearly always granting waivers and identify where change is needed.

While innovation in recruiting is key, Beth Asch, a senior economist at Rand, noted the Department of Defense needs to make sure the changes aren’t causing negative downstream effects.

That data needs to be collected after service members have joined their units. Previous studies have shown one bad apple can hurt the productivity of a unit, she said.

While she does not expect recruiting will get easier, Asch expected all the services will be more successful because of the new programs.

“It has to get fixed,” she said. “I don’t envision anybody wanting to go back to the draft.”