The Army has exceeded recruiting expectations in the active force and National Guard for fiscal year 2020 (which ended Sept. 30), while falling slightly short for the Army Reserve. Citing Lt. Gen. Gary Brito, the service’s personnel chief, the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) said that the active force reached a 2020 end strength of 485,383.
The figure represents new recruits, re-enlistees and soldiers who accepted short-term reenlistments under an option put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Army National Guard reported 336,131 soldiers, a shade above its goal of 336,000. The Army Reserve’s end strength – 188,703 – is just shy of its goal of 189,000.
Service officials are optimistic about the figures, AUSA reported, considering that the pandemic forced the closure of recruiting stations and slowed down both receiving and training new recruits and cadets.
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