Air Force Recruitment Reaches Highest Level in 15 Years, According to Officials
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that the rising interest in military service is driven by a renewed focus on combat readiness and discipline.
According to top military officials, U.S. Air Force recruitment has reached its highest level in 15 years.
“Americans are excited to serve their Country again! The next generation of the American warfighter will be joining the greatest fighting force the world has ever known!” Hegseth expressed in a post on X.
Allvin did not provide specific numbers but mentioned that all recruitment metrics “look great,” even as the Air Force set a 20 percent increase in its recruitment goal for fiscal year 2025.
An Air Force public affairs representative contacted by phone declined to share additional details.
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Allvin confirmed that around 13,000 recruits are currently enrolled in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), allowing enlistees to postpone their boot camp date while they complete education, manage personal commitments, or prepare for military training.
This increase in enlistments follows a disappointing fiscal year 2023, when the Air Force failed to meet its recruitment target for the first time since 1999. In response, some enlistment standards were adjusted, including relaxed policies regarding tattoos and body fat composition.
By the end of fiscal year 2024, the Air Force had recruited 27,139 active-duty enlisted personnel and saw a notable rise in DEP enrollment—from 8,000 in 2023 to 11,000 in 2024. For 2025, the Air Force is targeting the recruitment of 33,100 active-duty personnel.
Former President Donald Trump suggested that this newfound enthusiasm for military service signals a broader national change.
He also attributed this shift to his administration’s initiatives to remove “woke lunacy” from the military, citing a January 27 executive order that canceled gender identity policies to prioritize “readiness and effectiveness.”
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin delivers a keynote address at the Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, on March 3, 2025. Courtesy of U.S. Air Force/photo by Staff Sgt. Adam R. Shanks
“America requires more Air Force,” Allvin stated. However, “more Air Force doesn’t simply mean more of the same.”
Allvin outlined two significant challenges: pilots lacking sufficient flight time and the service being overstretched by surplus infrastructure. Since the Cold War’s conclusion, the Air Force has reduced 60 percent of its squadrons and 40 percent of its personnel, yet has only cut 15 percent of its bases.
To resolve this, Allvin recommended closing unnecessary bases and reallocating those resources toward modernizing aircraft and weapons systems, which includes investing in advanced autonomous drones meant to operate alongside piloted jets.
He emphasized that national security relies on developing and reshaping the Air Force to tackle emerging threats.
“We must maintain the capability to deploy anywhere, anytime, into the densest threat environments and deliver ‘warheads on foreheads’ wherever the President requires,” he concluded.
