Over the past three years, the U.S. military has invested more than $6 billion to recruit and retain service members, stepping up efforts to address shortfalls in enlistment numbers. Financial incentives for reenlisting in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines have surged significantly from 2022 through 2024, with the Navy leading in spending among the branches.
While the military has traditionally allocated funds for recruiting and retention bonuses, recent years have seen a sharp increase as Pentagon leaders worked to reverse declining enlistments—particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted recruiters’ access to schools, public events, and fairs where they typically engage with potential recruits.
Alongside enhanced bonuses, the military has launched new programs, increased recruiter numbers, and adjusted enlistment standards. These combined efforts have helped most branches recover from previous shortfalls. All branches except the Navy met their recruiting goals last year, and all are expected to meet targets this year.
Though some political figures credit the enlistment rebound to the previous administration, data show improvements began well before then. Military officials attribute the positive trend primarily to comprehensive service-wide reforms and the increased financial incentives.
The Army, as the largest branch, spent heavily on recruiting bonuses in 2022 and 2024 but was outspent by the Navy in 2023, when the Navy faced significant recruitment challenges. Despite being smaller, the Navy’s total bonus spending over the three years exceeded that of the Army.
The Navy has also been the largest spender on retention bonuses, awarding them to about 70,000 sailors annually—more than twice the number given by the Army, despite the Army’s larger size. Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby testified to a Senate subcommittee that retaining skilled sailors is critical to meeting personnel goals, noting that while enlisted reenlistment remains strong, officer retention is more difficult in specialized fields such as aviation, explosive ordnance disposal, surface and submarine warfare, health care, and special operations.
The Army has faced recruitment challenges for over a decade but has seen a remarkable turnaround thanks to innovative programs and policies. One standout initiative is the Future Soldier Prep Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, launched in August 2022. This program offers recruits who initially fall short on academic or physical standards up to 90 days of training to help them qualify for basic training, resulting in thousands of successful enlistments.
The Air Force also increased recruiting bonuses in 2023 to address shortages, particularly for roles in munitions systems, aircraft maintenance, and security forces, though it reduced bonus payouts in 2024. Meanwhile, the Space Force does not currently offer enlistment bonuses.
The Marine Corps and Space Force have consistently met recruiting goals, though the Marines had to rely heavily on their pool of delayed entry candidates in 2022 to reach targets. The Marines typically allocate the least amount for bonuses but distribute funds more broadly across their members. An increase in Marine retention bonuses from $126 million in 2023 to $201 million in 2024 was driven by a policy change allowing Marines to reenlist a year early, resulting in over 7,000 reenlistment bonuses—an increase of nearly 2,200 from the previous year.
When questioned about the significance of bonuses, Marine Commandant Gen. Eric Smith famously remarked that the real bonus is the pride of being called a Marine, implying no monetary amount can match that honor.
Each service targets recruiting and retention funds toward filling difficult positions, such as cyber, intelligence, and special operations roles. The Army and Marine Corps also use bonuses to attract personnel to combat arms, armor, and artillery positions, which are traditionally harder to fill.