US military spent $6 billion on troop recruitment and retention in 3 years
The United States military has spent over $6 billion in the last three years to recruit and keep service members, according to data shared by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
The money went into bonuses and programmes aimed at reversing a drop in enlistment, especially during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, when lockdowns limited recruiters' access to schools and public events. The Navy spent more than any other service, even though it is smaller than the Army.
The military has long used financial incentives, but the spending increased sharply from 2022 to 2024. According to the services, these measures helped improve recruitment, with all services except the Navy meeting their targets last year. All are expected to meet them this year.
Speaking to a Senate Armed Services subcommittee in March, Admiral James Kilby, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, said the Navy was focused on keeping experienced personnel. 'Retention is a critical component of achieving our end-strength goals,' he said, as reported by the Associated Press (AP). He also noted that while reenlistment rates were stable among enlisted sailors, there were gaps in certain officer roles such as aviation, submarine warfare, and medical professions.
The Army had the most challenges with recruitment over the last decade but has recently made a strong recovery. A major part of its strategy was the Future Soldier Prep Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Launched in August 2022, it offers lower-performing recruits up to 90 days of academic or fitness training before basic training. The programme has helped bring thousands into service.
The Army spent more than any other branch on recruitment in 2022 and 2024, but the Navy spent the most in 2023, a year when it faced a large shortfall in new enlistees. The Navy also gave out the most retention bonuses roughly 70,000 a year over the past three years more than double the Army, which has a much larger force.
The Marine Corps and the Space Force have generally met their targets, although the Marines had to draw heavily from delayed entry candidates in 2022. The Marines spent the least overall but saw a big increase in retention bonuses in 2024. According to Marine spokesperson Maj. Jacoby Getty, that rise from $126 million in 2023 to $201 million in 2024—was due to a policy change allowing early reenlistment. 'More than 7,000 Marines received bonuses,' he said.
In 2023, Marine Commandant Gen. Eric Smith commented on bonuses during a naval conference, saying, 'Your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine. There's no dollar amount that goes with that,' according to AP.
The Air Force increased bonuses in 2023 to fill roles in aircraft maintenance, munitions, and security. Spending went down in 2024. The Space Force does not currently offer enlistment bonuses.
Across the services, bonuses are targeted to fill hard-to-staff roles in cyber, intelligence, special operations, and certain combat jobs.
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