(NewsNation) — The U.S. Navy missed its recruitment goal for active duty enlisted sailors by more than 7,464 accessions in fiscal year 2023, Military.com reports.
The Navy announced it recruited 30,236 new active duty sailors, falling short of the 37,700 target number of accessions for the fiscal year 2023. The military department also recruited 1,948 Reserve enlisted personnel, down from its 3,000 goal.
The Navy also announced it didn’t meet its officer goal, only recruiting 2,080 new active duty officers rather than the target of 2,532 and 1,167 Reserve officers rather than the 1,940 target.
In the fiscal year 2022, the Navy met its active duty enlisted recruitment goals, but reduced its Delayed Entry Program pool to the lowest level in 40 years to do so. The program allows people to join the Navy before their shipping date.
The Navy has increased recruitment initiatives including raising enlistment bonuses from $50,000 to $75,000 and increasing the maximum enlistment age from 39 to 41.
The Navy announced it aims to recruit 40,600 new active duty enlisted personnel in fiscal year 2024 and 7,619 Reserve enlisted personnel. It also aims for 2,807 new active duty and 1,785 Reserve officers in 2024.