WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. National Guard has exceeded its recruiting target for 2025, capping off a year in which all five military services hit their enlistment goals early, Pentagon officials said last week.
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson announced during the War Department’s Weekly Sitrep that both the Army and Air National Guard brought in nearly 50,000 new members, boosting the Guard’s total end strength to more than 433,000.
“Young Americans are eager to serve,” said Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau. “Today’s recruits are seeking long-term value, and the National Guard delivers through career training and hands-on, practical experience in more than 200 career specialties.”
The strong recruiting numbers come as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met Sept. 22 with Canadian National Defense Minister David McGuinty to reinforce the U.S.-Canada partnership through NORAD. Hegseth praised Canada’s pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2035, calling it “a very strong step.”
Meanwhile, the War Department is touting record-breaking public outreach efforts. Wilson said total social media engagements for the Secretary of War’s page are up 987 percent from a year ago, while impressions surged 993 percent. “We’ve surpassed every social media benchmark set by the previous administration,” she said.
The week also brought difficult news. Hegseth formally disbanded the Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services, a panel critics say supported female representation in the military. Wilson defended the move, arguing it removes distractions from readiness and aligns with efforts to maintain a gender-neutral force. She said female recruitment has increased despite the change.
Separately, the department mourned the loss of four soldiers killed in a Sept. 12 MH-60 Black Hawk crash near Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. The victims were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 3 Andrew Cully, 35; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Andrew Kraus, 39; Sgt. Donavon Scott, 24; and Sgt. Jadalyn Good, 23.
“They were elite warriors who embodied the highest values of the Army and the Army Special Operations, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” said Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.
The combination of historic recruiting strength, renewed international defense cooperation, and tributes to fallen service members marked a week of both progress and solemn reflection for the U.S. military.
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