link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 
Updated December 21, 2022
Defense Primer: Active Component Enlisted Recruiting
Congressional Role
over the course of the year to meet its congressionally
The Constitution provides Congress with broad powers
authorized end-strength. Enlisted quantity goals are based
over the Armed Forces, including the power “To raise and
on the proportion of congressionally authorized end-
support Armies” and “To provide and maintain a Navy.” In
strength that a specific armed service and component
the exercise of this authority, Congress has historically
allocates to its enlisted force, less the projected number of
shown great interest in military recruiting, which is critical
currently serving enlisted personnel it expects to retain
to maintaining a fully manned and capable military
through the end of the year. As a hypothetical example,
workforce. Congress exercises a powerful influence on
assume an armed service has an authorized Active
recruiting through its establishment of personnel end-
Component end-strength of 200,000 total personnel,
strength levels for the Active Components and Reserve
comprised of 30,000 officers and 170,000 enlisted
Components. Higher end-strengths generally require a
personnel. If it projects that it will retain 140,000 of its
greater number of new recruits, higher rates of retention
current enlisted personnel through the end of the fiscal year,
among current servicemembers, or some combination of the
it might set a goal of enlisting 30,000 new individuals for
two. Through its oversight powers, Congress monitors the
that year plus a certain number more to account for those
performance of the executive branch in managing the size
new enlistees who are separated before the end of the year
and quality of the military workforce. Congress influences
(for example, for medical disability). The actual number of
the achievement of recruiting goals by the armed services in
new enlistees needed may also change during the year as
a number of ways:
new projections are made about the retention of currently
serving enlisted personnel, or if the armed service must
authorizing military compensation packages that are
increase or decrease the total size of its force (for example,
competitive with civilian employers (e.g., basic pay,
if a Service Secretary were to exercise the authority of 10
recruiting bonuses, educational and health care
U.S.C. §115(g)(1)(A) to increase congressionally
benefits);
authorized active duty end-strength for that armed service
establishing criteria that affect eligibility for enlistment
by up to 2%).Table 1 lists recruit quantity goals and results
such as age, cognitive, behavioral, and citizenship
for FY2020-FY2022.
requirements; and
funding recruiting programs that provide for dedicated
Quality Goals
recruiters, market research, advertising, and military
Quality goals are only for new enlistees without any
entrance processing stations.
previous military service, also known as non-prior service
(NPS) recruits.
The policy levers most commonly used to manage
recruiting include varying the number of recruiters, funding
Two principal Department of Defense (DOD) quality
for advertising, and funding for enlistment incentives.
benchmarks apply to NPS recruits. The first quality
When recruiting shortfalls occur, or are anticipated,
benchmark is the percentage of NPS enlistees who are high
Congress may elect to apply additional resources to these
school diploma graduates (HSDG). The second quality
mechanisms. Likewise, when recruiting is expected to be
benchmark is the percentage of scores above average on the
strong, Congress may elect to shift resources away from
Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT Categories I-
these areas.
IIIA). Since FY1993, the DOD’s quality benchmarks for
recruit quality have stipulated that at least 90% of NPS
Recruiting
enlistees must be high school diploma graduates, and at
Without a robust ability to bring new personnel into the
least 60% must score above average on the AFQT.
military, the armed services would lack sufficient
Supplementary ways to assess the quality of enlistment
manpower to carry out mission essential tasks in the near
cohorts include the percentage of NPS enlistees who score
term. Moreover, without stable recruiting levels they would
well-below average on the AFQT (Category IV) and the
lack a sufficient pool of entry-level personnel to develop
number and types of enlistment waivers granted to enlistees
into the mid-level and upper-level leaders of the future. To
for medical reasons, misconduct, or drug use. DOD
maintain a healthy military force structure, each armed
regulations require that no more than 4% of an annual
service sets goals for new personnel accessions each fiscal
enlistment cohort may be Category IV (10th-30th percentile
year for both its Active and Reserve Components. Officer
on the AFQT). In addition, no one in Category V (1st-9th
and enlisted goals are set separately. For enlisted personnel,
percentile on the AFQT) may be admitted into the U.S.
there are both quantity and quality goals.
armed forces. In the case of waivers, there is no official
benchmark. Table 2 and Table 3 list recruit quality
Quantity Goals
benchmarks and results for FY2020-FY2022.
Quantity goals are typically based on each armed service’s
projected need for new personnel (both officer and enlisted)
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Defense Primer: Active Component Enlisted Recruiting
Table 1.Non-Prior Service Accessions Data (Quantity)
Active Component Enlisted Personnel, FY2020-FY2022
FY2020
FY2021
FY2022
Armed
Percent
Percent
Percent
Service
Goal
Achieved
of Goal
Goal
Achieved
of Goal
Goal
Achieved
of Goal
Army
61,200
61,249
100.1%
57,500
57,606
100.2%
60,000
44,901
74.8%
Navy
39,600
39,678
100.2%
33,400
33,559
100.5%
33,400
33,442
100.1%
Marine
28,028
28,048
100.1%
30,607
30,617
100.0%
28,600
28,608
100.0%
Corps
Air Force
26,373
26,373
100.0%
26,641
26,656
100.1%
26,196
26,196
100.0%
Space
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a
521
532
102.1%
Force
Source: Department of Defense. Note: Fiscal Year 2022 is the first year results for the newly established Space Force have been reported.
Table 2.Non-Prior Service Accessions Data (Quality – High School Diploma Graduates)
Active Component Enlisted Personnel, FY2020-FY2022
Armed Service
DOD Benchmark
Achieved FY2020
Achieved FY2021
Achieved FY2022
Army
90%
95.8%
94.2%
94.2%
Navy
90%
97.4%
97.5%
96.9%
Marine Corps
90%
99.5%
99.5%
98.9%
Air Force
90%
98.5%
98.6%
98.5%
Space Force
90%
n.a.
n.a.
99.6%
Source: Department of Defense. Note: Fiscal Year 2022 is the first year results for the newly established Space Force have been reported.
Table 3.Non-Prior Service Accessions Data (Quality – Above Average AFQT Score)
Active Component Enlisted Personnel, FY2020-FY2022
Armed Service
DOD Benchmark
Achieved FY2020
Achieved FY2021
Achieved FY2022
Army
60%
62.9%
62.2%
60.2%
Navy
60%
70.2%
69.0%
65.1%
Marine Corps
60%
69.5%
69.4%
66.5%
Air Force
60%
82.2%
83.6%
82.2%
Space Force
60%
n.a.
n.a.
99.4%
Source: Department of Defense. Note: Fiscal Year 2022 is the first year results for the newly established Space Force have been reported.
Relevant Statutes
Other Resources
Title 10, Chapter 31, of the U.S. Code
DOD Instruction 1304.26, Qualification Standards for
10 U.S.C. §115
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.
Lawrence Kapp, Specialist in Military Personnel Policy
IF11147
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Defense Primer: Active Component Enlisted Recruiting
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11147 · VERSION 6 · UPDATED