{"id":118073,"date":"2021-02-02T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/02\/in-uncertain-economic-times-some-of-the-services-are-upping-their-recruiting-goals\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:52:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:52:34","slug":"in-uncertain-economic-times-some-of-the-services-are-upping-their-recruiting-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/02\/02\/in-uncertain-economic-times-some-of-the-services-are-upping-their-recruiting-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"In uncertain economic times, some of the services are upping their recruiting goals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A down economy is notoriously fertile ground for military recruiting<\/a>, setting up an opportunity for the services to shore up their end strengths while the civilian job market is in crisis. In the wake of massive unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>, recruiters have the opportunity to bring in more high-aptitude recruits, an easier feat when the economy is in a downturn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army, Air Force and Marine Corps have all upped their recruiting goals this year, after the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the number of incoming recruits in 2020. The increases coincide with a long-term plan to grow the Army, while the Air Force is overmanned<\/a> and the Marine Corps is drawing do<\/a>wn its manpower<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just that the services are more likely to meet their recruiting missions, but they\u2019re more like to meet them with better-qualified, higher-quality young people,\u201d Beth Asch, a Rand Corp. researcher whose recruiting research reports go back three decades, told Military Times on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The increased recruiting goals come after last year\u2019s tough environment slowed accession and forced more recruiting efforts online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps all met their 2020 active-duty recruiting targets, which often fluctuate through the year based on retention, they did it in a mostly remote environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, they\u2019re taking what they\u2019ve learned and putting it to the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe important in-person conversations and interaction so integral to our systematic recruiting process were temporarily shut down nation-wide at the height of the pandemic, and our Marine Recruiters had to pivot toward digital efforts,\u201d Gunnery Sgt. Justin Kronenberg, Marine Corps Recruiting Command spokesman, told Military Times. \u201cThankfully we have been training our Marines on these communication methods for several years and continue to reinforce digital engagement tactics through training and leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Marine Corps\u2019 2021 goal shows the biggest increase, with the active-duty enlisted target jumping from 28,048 to 29,600, or 1,552 more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s closer to the goals from the three years preceding 2020, when enlisted targets were around 32,000. At the same time, the active-duty officer goal is down, from 1,352 in 2020 to 1,206 this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome of the things we developed this year that will probably endure include creating more digital recruiter support materials like videos for virtual presentations, continued investment in app-based mobile technologies like our USMC Squad Bay application, and research to better understand any lasting impacts the pandemic may have on youth propensity to serve,\u201d Kronenberg said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t