PRODUCE RIGHT-SIZED, QUALITY FORCE
The Armed Services met their FY 1995 recruiting goals while maintaining the
high quality necessary to maintain a capable, ready force, Assistant Secretary
of Defense for Force Management Policy Fred Pang announced today.
The Services recruited a total of 168,010 first-time enlistees while exceeding
quality benchmarks. Also, 7,773 individuals with previous service were
recruited for a total of 175,783. Department wide, 96 percent of FY 1995
recruits without prior military service were high school diploma graduates, and
71 percent scored above average on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT).
Those scoring in the lowest acceptable category comprised less than one percent
of the total.
"The Services simultaneously achieved the difficult tasks of shrinking their
overall size while still recruiting the quality young men and women we must
have if we are to perform the military missions of today," Pang said. "They
have done a superb job."
Even though the overall size of military forces continues to shrink, it is
necessary to recruit new members to maintain the proper age balance in the
forces and to provide trainees to rise through the ranks. Military forces
promote only from within and must have a continuing source of experienced,
capable members to assume higher rank.
Quality benchmarks require that 90 percent of recruits have graduated high
school and that 60 percent have above average scores on the AFQT (scoring in
the top four categories). FY 1995 recruits exceeded both marks. "High
quality" recruits are those that have high school diplomas and make above
average scores on the AFQT. In FY 1995, 67 percent of the recruits were in
this quality category. The figure was down a percentage point from FY 1994.
"Our high school graduates remained at last year's level, but there were small
decreases in the enlistees scoring in Categories I-IIIA for the Army, Navy and
Marine Corps, while those scoring above average increased for the Air Force,"
Pang said. "We watch all such changes
-MORE -
closely, but the overall message of FY 1995 recruiting is that we are
maintaining very high quality, scoring well above the average for the preceding
10 years."
New recruit demographics remained largely unchanged from FY 1994. Black
recruits increased from 18 percent to 19 percent Department of Defense wide.
Hispanic recruits rose from seven percent to nine percent and women recruits
rose one percentage point, from 17 to 18 percent.
"It is worth noting that our forces continue to offer merit-based advancement
to all our young people, even as we bring the total numbers down. We are
right-sizing the forces, we are maintaining quality and we have diversity," he
said.
Pang said the Department of Defense understood the importance of continuing to
advertise during a drawdown and boosted recruit advertising spending about 20
percent FY 1995-1996. But he singled out ecruiters for special praise. "The
services established tough recruiting goals and our recruiters met them.
Nearly two-thirds of them are working more than 60 hours a week. We're very
proud of them and we're determined to ease that burden. An increased
advertising effort will help," Pang said.
Statistical summaries are attached.
FACT SHEET
MILITARY PERSONNEL RECRUITING STATISTICS FOR FY 1995
ACTIVE COMPONENT ENLISTED ACCESSIONS BY SERVICE
Total Number (Thousands)
FY 1994 FY 1995
Non-Prior Total Non-Prior Service Total
Service Prior Prior
Service Male Female Total Servic Gains Male Female Total Servic Gains
e e
Army 49.1 11.1 60.2 7.8 68.0 46.5 10.8 57.3 5.7 62.9
Navy 44.9 9.0 54.0 0* 54.0 37.9 9.4 47.3 1.3 48.6
Marine Corps 30.2 1.7 31.9 0.1 32.1 30.6 2.0 32.5 0.1 32.7
Air Force 22.9 7.1 30.0 0* 30.0 23.4 7.5 30.9 0* 31.0
DoD Total 147.1 28.9 176.1 8.0 184.1 138.3 29.7 168.0 7.8 175.8
Recruiting Objectives (Thousands)
FY 1994 FY 1995
Non-Prior Total Non-Prior Service Total
Service Prior Prior
Service Male Female Total Servic Gains Male Female Total Servic Gains
e e
Army 49.1 11.1 60.2 7.8 68.0 46.5 10.8 57.3 5.7 63.0
Navy ** ** 54.0 0 54.0 ** ** 47.3 1.3 48.6
Marine Corps 30.5 1.6 32.1 0 32.1 30.5 1.8 32.3 0 32.3
Air Force 30.0 0 30.0 ** ** 31.0 0 31.0
** **
DoD Total 176.2 7.8 184.0 ** ** 168.0 7.0 175.0
** **
Percent of Objective
FY 1994 FY 1995
Non-Prior Total Non-Prior Service Total
Service Prior Prior
Service Male Female Total Servic Gains Male Female Total Servic Gains
e e
Army 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Navy ** ** 100 0 100 ** ** 100 100 100
Marine Corps 108 0 100 109 0
99 99 100 101 103
Air Force ** ** 100 0 100 ** ** 100 0 100
DoD Total ** ** 100 102 100 ** ** 100 112 101
a/ Numbers in all tables may not add due to rounding.
* Less than 100.
* Air Force and Navy recruiting on gender-neutral basis; no longer set
recruiting objectives by gender. Cannot compute DoD totals without
Air Force and Navy data.
1HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA GRADUATE (HSDG)
ACCESSIONS
(Non-Prior Service)
Total Number (Thousands)
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service Male Female Total Male Female Total
Army 46.4 10.9 57.3 44.1 10.7 54.7
Navy 42.5 8.9 51.3 35.8 9.2 45.0
Marine Corps 28.7 1.7 30.4 29.3 1.9 31.2
Air Force 22.7 7.1 29.8 23.1 7.5 30.6
DoD Total 140.2 28.5 168.8 132.2 29.3 161.5
Percentage
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service Male Female Total Male Female Total
Army 95 98 95 95 99 96
Navy 95 98 95 94 98 95
Marine Corps 95 98 95 96 99 96
Air Force 99 100 99 99 99 99
DoD Total 95 98 96 96 99 96
ARMED FORCES QUALIFICATION TEST (AFQT) CATEGORY I-III ACCESSIONS
(Non-Prior Service)
Total Number (Thousands)
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service Male Female Total Male Female Total
Army 48.0 11.1 59.1 45.5 10.8 56.2
Navy 44.9 9.1 54.0 37.9 9.4 47.3
Marine Corps 30.2 1.7 32.0 30.5 2.0 32.5
Air Force 22.8 7.1 30.0 23.3 7.5 30.8
DoD Total 146.0 29.0 175.0 137.3 29.7 167.0
Percentage
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service Male Female Total Male Female Total
Army 98 99 98 98 100 98
Navy 100 100 100 100 100 100
Marine Corps 100 100 100 100 100 100
Air Force 99 100 99 100 100 100
DoD Total 99 99 99 99 100 99
2
AFQT CATEGORY I-IIIA ACCESSIONS
(Non-Prior Service)
Total Number (Thousands)
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service Male Female Total Male Female Total
Army 34.7 7.8 42.5 32.1 7.7 39.7
Navy 30.8 6.1 36.9 25.6 5.7 31.3
Marine Corps 21.1 1.4 22.5 19.9 1.4 21.3
Air Force 18.6 5.6 24.2 19.8 6.2 26.0
DoD Total 105.3 20.9 126.2 97.4 21.0 118.4
Percentage
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service Male Female Total Male Female Total
Army 71 70 71 69 71 69
Navy 69 67 68 68 60 66
Marine Corps 70 81 71 65 73 66
Air Force 81 79 81 85 83 84
DoD Total 72 72 72 71 71 71
"HIGH QUALITY" RECRUIT (HSDG/AFQT I-IIIA) ACCESSIONS
(Non-Prior Service)
Total Number (Thousands)
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service Male Female Total Male Female Total
Army 32.1 7.5 39.6 29.7 7.5 37.2
Navy 28.4 5.8 34.2 23.5 5.4 28.9
Marine Corps 20.3 1.4 21.7 19.0 1.4 20.4
Air Force 18.4 5.6 24.0 19.6 6.2 25.7
DoD Total 99.1 20.4 119.5 91.7 20.5 112.3
Percentage
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service Male Female Total Male Female Total
Army 65 68 66 64 70 65
Navy 63 65 63 62 58 61
Marine Corps 67 80 68 62 72 63
Air Force 81 78 80 84 82 83
DoD Total 67 70 68 66 69 67
3RACIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ACTIVE
ENLISTED ACCESSIONS 1/
(Non-Prior Service)
Total Number (Thousands)
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service White Black Hispani Other Total White Black Hispani Other Total
c c
Army 40.5 13.3 4.2 2.3 60.2 37.7 12.8 4.5 2.3 57.3
Navy 37.6 9.8 4.5 2.1 54.0 30.4 9.1 5.6 2.2 47.3
Marine Corps 23.4 4.0 3.3 1.2 31.9 23.0 4.3 3.9 1.3 32.5
Air Force 23.8 4.1 1.1 1.0 30.0 23.7 4.4 1.6 1.2 30.9
DoD Total 125.3 31.2 13.1 6.6 176.1 114.9 30.6 15.6 7.0 168.1
Percentage
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service White Black Hispani Other Total White Black Hispani Other Total
c c
Army 67 22 7 4 100 66 22 8 4 100
Navy 70 18 8 4 100 64 19 12 5 100
Marine Corps 73 13 10 4 100 71 13 12 4 100
Air Force 79 14 4 3 100 77 14 5 4 100
DoD Total 71 18 7 4 100 68 19 9 4 100
18-24 year- 69 14 13 4 100 67 14 15 5 100
old youth
1/ Racial definitions are consistent with Office of Management & Budget
(OMB) guidelines. "Other represents Native American,
Asian and Pacific Islanders.
GENDER DISTRIBUTION OF ACTIVE ENLISTED ACCESSIONS
(Non-Prior Service)
Total Number (Thousands)
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service Male Female Total Male Female Total
Army 49.1 11.1 60.2 46.5 10.8 57.3
Navy 44.9 9.0 54.0 37.9 9.4 47.3
Marine Corps 30.2 1.7 31.9 30.6 2.0 32.5
Air Force 22.9 7.1 30.0 23.4 7.5 30.9
DoD Total 147.1 29.0 176.1 138.3 29.7 168.0
Percentage
FY 1994 FY 1995
Service Male Female Total Male Female Total
Army 81 19 100 81 19 100
Navy 83 17 100 80 20 100
Marine Corps 95 5 100 94 6 100
Air Force 76 24 100 76 24 100
DoD Total 83 17 100 82 18 100
4
"High Quality" (HSDG / I-IIIA)
DoD 39 45 52 53 56 57 60 61 58 64 72 74 67
Army 29 39 45 47 52 54 58 52 55 62 78 78 66
Navy 41 45 54 54 51 48 52 52 48 55 62 66 64
Marine Corps 39 43 48 49 53 65 66 61 63 62 67 70 66
Air Force 51 56 66 70 69 71 76 82 82 85 85 85 79
AFQT Category IV
DoD 21 15 11 10 7 4 5 5 6 3 0.5 0.2 0.8
Army 35 22 15 13 9 4 4 5 7 2 0.9 0.4 2.2
Navy 14 12 10 11 10 9 10 10 11 7 0.4 0 0
Marine Corps 16 12 9 7 4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.1 0 0
Air Force 10 8 3 2 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2
Note: AFQT Percentile
Groupings (Categories): I
(93-99); II (65-92); IIIA
(50-64); IIIB (31-49); IV
(10-30)
