Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, delivers opening remarks July 17, 2023, during the 30th Anniversary Conference for the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program at National Harbor, Md. (Zach Sheely/U.S. Army National Guard)
WASHINGTON — Both components of the National Guard expect to come at least very close to their goals for troops by the end of fiscal 2023, Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson said Thursday.
The National Guard’s authorized end strength for fiscal 2023, which includes new recruits and existing troops, is about 433,000 — 325,000 for the Army Guard and 108,000 for the Air Guard, said Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau. The fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
Both components missed their 2022 enlistment goal by a few thousand recruits each, reflecting the challenging new environment that has existed in recent years. The active-duty Army, for example, missed its target by 15,000 last year and expects to miss its goal of 65,000 this year. The Air Force has said it anticipates being 10% short.
However, Hokanson said recruiting for the National Guard has improved recently, despite the challenges.
“We have been over 100% on our recruiting and retention for the last four months,” he said at the National Press Club in Washington. “We are not declaring victory, but I think our recruiters have really adjusted to the new environment.”
Just 23% of young Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 qualify academically and physically to serve in the military, according to Pentagon data.
“There’s a lot more competition for that 23% of America that’s eligible for military service,” the general said.
To expand the candidate pool, some services have introduced initiatives to spur recruiting and get young people ready to qualify for service. For example, the Army has created the Future Soldier Preparation Course to help potential recruits get in shape for the fitness and academic standards.
A month ago, officials said the Army Guard was on track to hit at least 95% of its total goal of 30,880 recruits, and the Air National Guard was projected to be at 97%. Hokanson said recruiting in the Army Guard recently has picked up.
“On the Army Guard side, we are scheduled to meet 100% of our authorized end strength,” he said. “On the Air Guard, it’s a little bit different. We are [still] currently programmed to be about 97%.”
But Hokanson said stiff competition from private companies for young Americans and employees seeking to work remotely more often help make recruiting tougher. Some political influences also have a negative impact on the military, such as the actions by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., to block more than 200 military promotions, he said.
“[It is] having a very hard impact on [military] families,” Hokanson said. “And then you have to look at the impact on our mid-grade officers, who [may] say, ‘Do I want to make the military a career?’ They are looking at what’s happening to our senior leaders, and their families are going to have conversations about their future and the potential impact it has on them. It sends a message to the force.”
Tuberville began blocking military promotions in February over a Pentagon policy that reimburses service members if they travel to another state for reproductive health care, including abortions. The policy came after several states in the past year limited access to abortions.
“I think all of us are very concerned,” Hokanson said. “It is something we would like to get resolved as soon as we can.”
Hokanson also said the military continues to investigate the leak of classified information earlier this year by Jack Teixeira, an airman in the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. Teixeira, 21, faces charges of violating the Espionage Act and unauthorized removal of classified information. He has pleaded not guilty.
“That was a very disappointing event, to say the least,” Hokanson said, adding the National Guard is still learning what happened and ways it can prevent similar disclosures in the future. “We will see what the results of the investigation are.”
