The War Department announced Tuesday that the military has reached its highest level of recruitment in a decade and a half in a stunning, yet predictable, reversal from just a few years ago.

“Since November 2024, our military has seen its highest recruiting percentage of mission achieved in more than 15 years,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

Every branch, according to the Department of War, hit over 100% of its recruiting targets, except the Army Reserve. The department was quick to attribute this recruitment explosion to the new leadership at the top.

“In 2025, the department exceeded our annual active-duty recruitment accession goals across all five services. … Why? Because we have a commander in chief and a secretary of war who are focused on our troops and our mission, and on ensuring that we remain the most lethal fighting force on the planet,” Undersecretary of War for Personnel and Readiness Anthony J. Tata said during a speech earlier this month.

Military hits best recruiting numbers in 15 yearshttps://t.co/TnjVetMK4E

Now, it’s true that every administration wants to spin good news as directly attributable to its leadership. However, much like the border issue, it’s impossible to ignore the reality that recruitment shot up virtually the moment it was clear that President Donald Trump would win in 2024 and there would be new management in........

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