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The U.S. Army and Air Force are expected to meet their latest recruiting goals, but it appears the Navy will fall short.
The U.S. Navy, which originally aimed to recruit about 40,600 people in the current recruiting year, now says it will likely be short about 6,700 recruits.
“We continue to face challenges in the current and anticipated economic environment and difficult labor market,” said Vice Adm. Rick Cheeseman, Navy chief of staff.
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He continued: “The Navy continues to explore and evaluate new methods to attract qualified, motivated and capable applicants.”
Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations, told Congress last week that the United States needs 18,000 additional sailors for operations at sea, while an additional 4,000 are needed for roles on land.
The Navy has repeatedly lowered its requirements and removed barriers to entry to boost recruiting numbers.
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Citizens without a high school diploma were eligible to enlist earlier this year as long as they scored at least 50 out of 99 on the Armed Forces Qualification Test.
There are approximately six months left in the hiring year, but projections suggest that labor shortages will continue, leading to staff shortages both on water and on land.
The US Navy is more crucial than ever internationally as tensions continue to rise in regions such as the Pacific Ocean and the Middle East.
US warships stationed in the Mediterranean have been crucial to continued security operations amid missile launches from Iran and attacks on commercial ships by the Houthis.
Similarly, a US naval presence in the seas of East Asia has served to deter the People’s Republic of China from aggression against the disputed island territory of Taiwan.
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