Trump’s reelection lands Army best free promotion in 15 years as recruitment swells to record high
The U.S. Army hit its highest recruitment figures in more than a decade following President Donald Trump’s reelection.
Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the milestone on Tuesday.
‘America’s youth want to serve under the bold & strong ‘America First’ leadership of Donald Trump,’ the Pentagon chief wrote on X.
Hegseth said that Army recruitment reached a 12-year high in December 2024. That was then overshadowed by a 15-year high recruitment figure in January.
The former Fox News host did not specify how many people joined up in those two months and the Army did not immediately respond to a DailyMail.com request for clarification on the figures.
But the Army posted to X that it recruited an average of 346 soldiers every day in December, meaning that approximately 10,700 were added to the roster in that month alone.
The surge shows the increasing interest from Americans who want to serve in the armed forces under the new administration.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on Tuesday that the U.S. Army hit 15-year-high recruitment in January
The Army said it recruited 346 soldiers every day in December, meaning that approximately 10,700 were added to the roster in the month after Donald Trump was reelected president
Hegseth posted about the record-high recruitment in a post to X, crediting the surge in the reelection of Trump
It came after a massive fallout in recruiting figures over the last four years under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Thousands were discharged from service under Biden due to their refusal to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate set early on in his single term.
Hegseth reposted to X a tweet from an Alabama-based conservative radio host who wrote: ‘There are several young men from my hometown who were planning to go to college but have now enlisted to serve under Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump!
‘Our military will be back to full strength by the end of the year thanks to ending DEI and promoting the meritocracy!’ he added.
Right after retaking office, Trump signed an order that would give troops who were discharged for refusing the coronavirus vaccine the chance to be reinstated, restored to their previous rank and provided back pay and benefits that were lost during their time away.
Another executive action sought to rid all agencies, including the Pentagon, of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices that he said were ruining the credibility of government departments.
The recruitment soar comes in the midst of those orders and as Trump took back over as Commander-in-Chief and bringing on Hegseth, an Army veteran, to lead the Pentagon.
Thousands of Marines and soldiers are being deployed to the southern border to provide additional security and prevent illegal border crossings. Pictured: Marines put up barbed wire at the U.S. southern border in San Ysidro, California on Monday, February 3
It also comes as soldiers are being utilized in the president’s push to have the DoD take over operational control of the southern border and help handle deportation of illegal immigrants.
While 2,600 Marine and Army forces were already deployed to the southern border, another 500 were sent to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to help with expanding the prison so it can hold 30,000 migrants.
‘At the direction of the President of the United States, and in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense, U.S. Army South (USARSOUTH) has assumed responsibility as the lead Joint Task Force for ongoing illegal alien holding operations at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,’ the Army said in a statement on the deployment.
