Here’s how many new sailors the Navy wants to recruit this year

The Navy is seeking to recruit 40,600 new sailors in fiscal year 2025 after exceeding its recruitment goals last year, the service announced.

The service failed to meet its accession targets for the first time ever in FY23, amid recruitment challenges military leaders blamed on a variety of factors, from more thorough medical screenings for applicants, fewer Americans eligible to serve and low civilian unemployment.

The Navy’s FY25 accessions target, the same as last year’s goal, comes as the service announced it brought in a total of 40,978 new recruits in FY24. The service attributes its success last year to “data-driven decision-making,” cutting down the time to process medical waivers and “expanding opportunities.”

Among these changes are installing a two-star admiral to head recruiting stations and centers, adjusting recruiting goals from monthly to annual, and creating a Recruiting Operations Center in October 2023 to address recruitment issues and streamline the entire recruiting process.

“We are building on the foundation of success from FY24 while tackling new challenges head-on,” Rear Adm. James Waters, Commander of Navy Recruiting Command, said in a statement. “With the strategies we’ve implemented, the talent we have in place, and the support from leadership, I’m confident that we’ll meet our goals and continue to bring in the best and brightest to serve our nation.”

Likewise, the Navy has incorporated multiple reforms in recent years to address recruiting challenges. For example, the service started allowing those without a high school diploma or General Educational Development credential to enlist this year, if they score a 50 or higher on the Armed Forces Qualification Test.

The Navy also started a pilot program in December 2022 allowing sailors who scored lower on the Armed Forces Qualification Test to still enlist in the Navy. The shift meant potential sailors who scored between the 10th and 30th percentile on the AFQT were eligible to join if their ASVAB individual line scores qualified for a Navy rating.