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Updated December 23, 2021
Defense Primer: Active Component Enlisted Recruiting
Congressional Role
The Constitution provides Congress with broad powers
over the Armed Forces, including the power “To raise and
Quantity Goals
support Armies” and “To provide and maintain a Navy.” In
Quantity goals are typically based on each armed service’s
the exercise of this authority, Congress has historically
projected need for new personnel (both officer and enlisted)
shown great interest in military recruiting, which is critical
over the course of the year to meet its congressionally
to maintaining a fully manned and capable military
authorized end-strength. Enlisted quantity goals are based
workforce. Congress exercises a powerful influence on
on the proportion of congressionally authorized end-
recruiting through its establishment of personnel end-
strength that a specific armed service and component
strength levels for the Active Components and Reserve
allocates to its enlisted force, less the projected number of
Components. Higher end-strengths generally require a
currently serving enlisted personnel it expects to retain
greater number of new recruits, higher rates of retention
through the end of the year. As a hypothetical example,
among current servicemembers, or some combination of the
assume an armed service has an authorized Active
two. Through its oversight powers, Congress monitors the
Component end-strength of 200,000 total personnel,
performance of the executive branch in managing the size
comprised of 30,000 officers and 170,000 enlisted
and quality of the military workforce.
personnel. If it projects that it will retain 140,000 of its
current enlisted personnel through the end of the fiscal year,
Congress influences the achievement of recruiting goals by
it might set a goal of enlisting 30,000 new individuals for
the armed services in a number of ways:
that year plus a certain number more to account for those
new enlistees who are separated before the end of the year
authorizing military compensation packages that are
(for example, for medical disability). The actual number of
competitive with civilian employers (e.g., basic pay,
new enlistees needed may also change during the year as
recruiting bonuses, educational and health care
new projections are made about the retention of currently
benefits);
serving enlisted personnel, or if the armed service must
increase or decrease the total size of its force (for example,
establishing criteria that affect eligibility for enlistment
if a Service Secretary were to exercise the authority of 10
such as age, cognitive, behavioral, and citizenship
U.S.C. §115(g)(1)(A) to increase congressionally
requirements; and
authorized active duty end-strength for that armed service
by up to 2%).
funding recruiting programs that provide for dedicated
recruiters, market research, advertising, and military
Table 1 lists recruit quantity goals and results for FY2019-
entrance processing stations.
FY2021.
The policy levers most commonly used to manage
Quality Goals
recruiting include varying the number of recruiters, funding
Quality goals are only for new enlistees without any
for advertising, and funding for enlistment incentives.
previous military service, also known as non-prior service
When recruiting shortfalls occur, or are anticipated,
(NPS) recruits.
Congress may elect to apply additional resources to these
mechanisms. Likewise, when recruiting is expected to be
Two principal Department of Defense (DOD) quality
strong, Congress may elect to shift resources away from
benchmarks apply to NPS recruits. The first quality
these areas.
benchmark is the percentage of NPS enlistees who are high
school diploma graduates (HSDG). The second quality
Recruiting
benchmark is the percentage of scores above average on the
Without a robust ability to bring new personnel into the
Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT Categories I-
military, the armed services would lack sufficient
IIIA). Since FY1993, the DOD’s quality benchmarks for
manpower to carry out mission essential tasks in the near
recruit quality have stipulated that at least 90% of NPS
term. Moreover, without stable recruiting levels they would
enlistees must be high school diploma graduates, and at
lack a sufficient pool of entry-level personnel to develop
least 60% must score above average on the AFQT.
into the mid-level and upper-level leaders of the future. To
Supplementary ways to assess the quality of enlistment
maintain a healthy military force structure, each armed
cohorts include the percentage of NPS enlistees who score
service sets goals for new personnel accessions each fiscal
well-below average on the AFQT (Category IV) and the
year for both its Active and Reserve Components. Officer
number and types of enlistment waivers granted to enlistees
and enlisted goals are set separately. For enlisted personnel,
for medical reasons, misconduct, or drug use. DOD
there are both quantity and quality goals.
regulations require that no more than 4% of an annual
enlistment cohort may be Category IV (10th-30th percentile
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on the AFQT). In addition, no one in Category V (1st-9th
DOD is not yet reporting recruiting results for the newly
percentile on the AFQT) may be admitted into the U.S.
established Space Force.
armed forces. In the case of waivers, there is no official
benchmark.
Table 2 and Table 3 list recruit quality benchmarks and
results for FY2019-FY2021.
Table 1.Non-Prior Service Accessions Data (Quantity)
Active Component Enlisted Personnel, FY2019-FY2021
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
Armed
Percent
Percent
Percent
Service
Goal
Achieved
of Goal
Goal
Achieved
of Goal
Goal
Achieved
of Goal
Army
68,000
68,185
100.3%
61,200
61,249
100.1%
57,500
57,606
100.2%
Navy
39,000
39,027
100.1%
39,600
39,678
100.2%
33,400
33,559
100.5%
Marine
31,767
31,777
100.0%
28,028
28,048
100.1%
30,607
30,617
100.0%
Corps
Air Force
32,300
32,421
100.4%
26,373
26,373
100.0%
26,641
26,656
100.1%
Source: Department of Defense.
Table 2.Non-Prior Service Accessions Data (Quality – High School Diploma Graduates)
Active Component Enlisted Personnel, FY2019-FY2021
Armed Service
DOD Benchmark
Achieved FY2019
Achieved FY2020
Achieved FY2021
Army
90%
93.7%
95.8%
94.2%
Navy
90%
97.7%
97.4%
97.5%
Marine Corps
90%
99.5%
99.5%
99.5%
Air Force
90%
98.5%
98.5%
98.6%
Source: Department of Defense.
Table 3.Non-Prior Service Accessions Data (Quality – Above Average AFQT Score)
Active Component Enlisted Personnel, FY2019-FY2021
Armed Service
DOD Benchmark
Achieved FY2019
Achieved FY2020
Achieved FY2021
Army
60%
60.6%
62.9%
62.2%
Navy
60%
71.6%
70.2%
69.0%
Marine Corps
60%
69.4%
69.5%
69.4%
Air Force
60%
81.8%
82.2%
83.6%
Source: Department of Defense.
Relevant Statutes
Title 10, Chapter 31, of the U.S. Code
Other Resources
10 U.S.C. §115
DOD Instruction 1304.26, Qualification Standards for
Enlistment, Appointment, and Induction
DOD Instruction 6130.03, Medical Standards for
Appointment, Enlistment or Induction in the Military Services
Defense Manpower Data Center, DOD Personnel,
Workforce Reports, and Publications.
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Defense Primer: Active Component Enlisted Recruiting
IF11147
Lawrence Kapp, Specialist in Military Personnel Policy
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