After years of decline in both recruitment and retention, alongside an air of neglect for our nation’s warfighters, the American military is turning a corner. Renewed leadership under President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is inspiring one of the most dramatic military revivals in recent history.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Army missed its recruitment goals by historic margins. In fiscal 2022, they aimed to bring in 60,000 people and came up 15,000 short. In fiscal 2023, despite increasing the target to 65,000, the Army fell short again, only managing 55,000 recruits — the worst recruiting crisis since the all-volunteer force was established in 1973.
The Departments of the Navy and Air Force fared no better. The Air Force missed its recruiting goal for the first time in nearly a quarter-century. The Marine Corps, which typically begins each year exceeding half of its recruitment goal, entered fiscal 2022 with just over 30 percent.
These numbers are even more concerning when you realize the domino effect that followed. In 2024, the U.S. entered in a new year with the smallest active-duty service since the U.S. entered World War II. The trajectory wasn’t good, considering China, Russia and conflicts in the Middle East had all settled in our peripherals.
Today, just over 100 days into the new administration, the situation has changed dramatically. With Trump in office and Hegseth leading the charge at the Pentagon, the Army is over 85 percent of the way to its 2025 goal of 61,000 new recruits — exciting data for the service coming up on its 250th anniversary.
One testament to the success is Army Gen. James Mingus’s comments to Congress on March 12, 2025, when he said, “We’ve seen momentum unlike anything we’ve (had) in a decade.”
The Navy’s story is strong too. “We are on pace to exceed recruiting goals in 2025,” said Admiral James Kilby, the Navy’s vice chief of naval operations, in a recent congressional hearing. That goal is 40,600 new sailors.
The Marine Corps is reporting historic retention rates for fiscal 2025, “exceeding aggregate missions for both First Term Alignment Plan and career Marines,” and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin posted on X in March that the recruitment for December, January and February were at 15-year highs — even considering a 20 percent increase in 2025 goals.
This wasn’t a fluke, and this wasn’t a new bonus structure — this was new leadership, inspiring clarity and conviction among our nations’ bravest.
Recruitment and retention are great pieces of the success story, but the 1.3 million active-duty service members know that the military is only as strong as its readiness — and that means building elite warfighters, not checking boxes.
Under Hegseth’s guidance, the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness program has exploded in scope and impact. Once a pilot program in select brigades, the program is now being implemented across 71 brigades, with full Army-wide integration targeted by 2032.
Units with access to Holistic Health and Fitness teams and facilities are reporting a 23 percent higher pass rate on the Army Combat Fitness Test, a 27 percent increase in expert rifle marksmanship, and a staggering 502 percent drop in substance abuse cases. Behavioral health referrals have dropped 49 percent, and suicides in these units are down 37 percent.
A fitter warfighter means a healthier warfighter and reflects a community ready to fight. If you can’t make the cut, you have a team that will help you get there. If you don’t want to make the cut? You’re out. In a department-wide memo, Hegseth announced that all branches would follow suit and participate in a department-wide review of existing standards.
Having combat-ready forces isn’t a health initiative — it’s a warfighting initiative, and a cultural shift back to what the American military does best: building strong, lethal and disciplined fighters who can deploy, dominate and return home with honor.
Perhaps nothing symbolizes this revival better than the recent reenlistment of Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer into the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. After 15 years away from uniformed service, Meyer raised his right hand and took the oath again — this time in a Pentagon ceremony led by Hegseth himself.
Meyer’s return wasn’t just symbolic; it was a spark for future Marines and war-fighters across this nation. In his words: “You don’t stop serving just because the uniform comes off. This is about leading from the front.”
The new mission at the Department of Defense is simple: mission first, people always, and no apologies for putting America’s defense at the center of American policy. The secretary has made clear among the ranks that the three areas listed will be at the center of all that the U.S. military will do: restoring warrior ethos, rebuilding our military and reestablishing deterrence.
The U.S. boasts the greatest military in the world. As a sister of two Marines, and a Gold Star family member, I can attest to this personally, from the expressed sentiments of all my brothers’ battle buddies. The American warfighter is ready to pick up their arms. In only a few months, they’ve transformed what many saw as a stagnant, struggling force, focused too heavily on separating warfighters by race, gender, creed and religion, into a motivated, mission-ready military.
The American warfighter is no longer forgotten. They are fired up, locked in and ready to lead again.
This isn’t just a military comeback — it’s a comeback for every American who believes that peace comes through strength, and who holds a unified belief that our service members deserve leadership that not only respects but supports their sacrifice, and fuels their success.
Taylor Hathorn is a visiting fellow at Independent Women. She has over 10 years of experience in cybersecurity, policy, public relations and non-profit management.