The early resurgence underway in Army recruitment, however, marks a welcome reversal from the failures of the previous administration as the U.S. adopts a more muscular foreign policy against adversaries.

Tweet

President Theodore Roosevelt famously captured his foreign policy approach with the adage, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”  

President Donald Trump, in stark contrast, pursues his foreign policy agenda by speaking loudly while also wielding a big stick.  

Under either approach, an effective United States foreign policy requires an effective “big stick” to back up any president’s rhetoric, whether sotto voce or voce alta.  

With that in mind, the year 2025 has already brought an encouraging reversal of recent trends with the announcement that the U.S. Army is shattering recruitment records as the Trump administration gains momentum.  

In fact, according to American Military News, the Army is already halfway toward its goal of 61,000 recruits this year, which contrasts with a 41,000-recruit shortfall in 2023 and even downsizing decisions during the Biden/Harris administration:  

According to Military.com, internal data reviewed by the outlet shows that the Army is roughly halfway toward its goal of recruiting 61,000 active-duty soldiers during Fiscal Year 2025.  Since the start of the fiscal year in October, the Army has reached 30,000 new enlistments, which is an increase of approximately 6,000 enlistments compared to the same period in Fiscal Year 2024, according to Military.com.  

The Army’s increased recruitment following Trump’s election win in November represents a stark contrast to the military’s recruitment shortfall in Fiscal Year 2023.  According to the Department of Defense, the military missed its recruitment goal by roughly 41,000 recruits in Fiscal Year 2023 under the Biden-Harris administration.  In the face of military recruitment challenges under the Biden-Harris administration, the Army announced last year that it would be reducing the size of its force by roughly 24,000 troops.  

Talk about a quick turnaround.  

The Biden/Harris administration, of course, took a “speak softly and carry a small stick” approach to foreign policy, so its recruitment shortfalls came as no surprise.  

Remember how the most forceful rhetoric that Biden could muster in the wake of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel was a tepid “Don’t?”  In response, Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis attacked Israel in precisely the ways he admonished them to avoid.  

In addition to the 2023 recruiting shortfalls referenced above, recruiting in 2022 missed its targets by 25%.  Instead of a warrior ethos, the Biden/Harris administration pursued a social-justice warrior ethos through divisive and discriminatory DEI policies.  That disregarded traditional military values of unity, deterring the potential recruits on which the military must rely.  Exacerbating matters, that needless shift in focus from a warrior ethos to a social justice warrior ethos undermined morale among members already in the military.  

Aggravating matters, the Biden/Harris administration also starved the military of resources at a time when it should’ve been boosting funding.  

Although the Defense Department’s budget increased in nominal terms during the Biden/Harris administration, those nominal increases failed to keep pace with rising inflation.  Accordingly, when adjusted for inflation, defense spending actually declined.  

The fiscal year 2024 defense budget, for example, proposed a 1% nominal spending increase over 2023.  Because of prevailing inflation rates, however, that tiny increase didn’t offset the loss in purchasing power, thus resulting in a defense spending decrease.  For fiscal year 2025, the situation deteriorated further.  At $850 billion, that 4.1% nominal increase from 2023 was offset by 7% inflation over the preceding two years.  Accordingly, that small increase translated into negative spending in real terms.  

Those inflation-adjusted spending reductions obviously hindered the military’s ability to replenish weapons stockpiles and invest in critical modernization efforts, but they also signaled the Biden/Harris attitude toward military readiness for active service members and potential recruits.  

Our enemies also took note.  

Russia invaded Ukraine after remaining docile throughout the first Trump administration, while Iran directly attacked Israel for the first time in history despite Biden’s admonitions.  Houthi rebels managed to shut down Red Sea shipping and disrupt world commerce, while China’s aggression toward Taiwan and other Pacific nations worsened.  

The early resurgence underway in Army recruitment, however, marks a welcome reversal from the failures of the previous administration as the U.S. adopts a more muscular foreign policy against adversaries.  With increased troop levels, we’ll be better prepared to respond to potential crises, ensuring that we project power more effectively.  

Accordingly, early signs suggest a welcome return to peace through strength under the Trump administration.