In October, the United States Army announced that it had reached recruiting and retention goals for the 2020 fiscal year despite myriad challenges created by the global coronavirus pandemic. A Congress-mandated target of 485,383 active duty soldiers was maintained through the end of September, with eyes already turned toward 2021 goals, which will be between 1,000 and 1,500 soldiers greater than 2020.
Furthermore, the Army will continue to work towards increased diversity among ranks, including a greater presence of female and minority soldiers. For 2020, 53 percent of the 62,150 recruits that entered basic training were white, while 82 percent were male. Army personnel chief Lt. Gen. Gary Brito said these figures represented slight improvements, but that there was still more work to be done.
