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The U.S. military's recruiting for fiscal 2026 has begun positively, with the Defense Department achieving nearly 40% of its delayed entry program accession goals since October. This follows a successful fiscal 2025, where all active-duty forces met their recruiting targets, and the branches averaged 103% of their goals, marking the highest achievement in over a decade.

Key initiatives contributing to the success include enhanced medical screening, a pilot program to reduce waiting times for recruits, and preparatory courses to bolster candidates' test scores and fitness. The National Defense Authorization Act recently signed into law increases troop end strength by approximately 26,100. Specific recruiting achievements include the Army meeting 101.72% of its 61,000 recruit goal, the Navy at 108.61%, the Air Force at 100.22%, the Space Force at 102.89%, and the Marine Corps exactly at its goal of 26,600.