The Pentagon has seen a surge in female military recruits this fiscal year.
Recruitment figures indicate that close to 24,000 women have enlisted since the beginning of FY2025, a Department of Defense official confirmed to the Daily Mail.
This is an increase from 16,725 female recruits during the same timeframe in the prior fiscal year, marking over a 30 percent year-over-year surge, according to Fox News.
The dramatic increase in female recruits comes after the Army announced it exceeded its recruitment goals in June with months to spare.
The branch announced at the time it had contracted over 61,000 recruits, a 10 percent increase from the 2024 recruitment target of 55,000.
A Pentagon official celebrated the recruitment and praised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership.
A Pentagon official told Fox News, ‘The media’s portrayal that female recruitment numbers have either decreased or remained stagnant under Secretary Hegseth and President Trump is completely false.’
‘Leadership matters and women are excited to serve under the strong leadership of Secretary Hegseth and President Trump.’
Female military recruitment has surged this fiscal year, a Pentagon official confirmed to the Daily Mail
U.S. Naval Academy graduates celebrate as the Blue Angels fly over during the 2025 Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony on May 23, 2025, in Annapolis, Maryland. 1,049 men and women graduated in the class of 2025 and will join the Navy or Marine Corps, where they will serve for at least five years.
The Pentagon did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
A Pentagon survey this year found that three out of four potential recruits expressed concerns about physical injuries that might occur from joining the military.
Two thirds of the respondents expressed concern over the emotional impacts of enlisting.
Recent Defense Department polls show that just 11 percent of American youth have a propensity to serve, according to the Pentagon.
The rise in signed contracts is a positive development for the Pentagon, which has cautioned for years that American youth are increasingly less inclined to join the armed services.
‘Just about a year ago, it was a big story, front page of every paper all over the world, that nobody wanted to enlist in our military,’ Trump said in May.
‘After years of military recruiting shortfalls, enlistments in the U.S. armed forces are now the highest in 30 years because there is such an incredible spirit in the United States of America,’ Trump added.
The military did not actually hit record lows during President Joe Biden’s tenure, but armed service recruitment during the last administration did fail on several occasions to hit expected goals.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has credited President Donald Trump for the bump in recruiting numbers. He has called it the ‘Trump Bump’
Recruitment has remained an issue in recent years.
Upon his arrival, Hegseth vowed to return the ‘warrior ethos’ to the Pentagon and so far he claims it is helping the department pad its numbers.
‘They call it the “Trump Bump,”‘ Hegseth has said about the increase in recruitment.
‘It’s the commander-in-chief first and foremost. He’s got the backs of our war fighters and they know it. And so, the young men and women of America are prepared to stand up,’ the defense secretary said in May.
Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, a Air Force veteran, also praised the president and Hegseth for ’empowering women who want to serve.’
‘There’s a reason why female service member recruitment is at all-time high. As a former United States Air Force veteran, I can tell you that overall morale, the commander-in-chief, and his chosen leadership at the Pentagon make a huge difference, especially in recruitment and retention,’ she posted on X.
‘The bottom line is this administration and Secretary Hegseth has prioritized lethality and mission readiness over political pandering. That’s exactly why women, and men, all across the country are more trusting of their leadership and more willing to serve,’ the congresswoman added.
