Department of Defense reports mixed results for 2018 recruiting

Nov. 15 (UPI) -- The Department of Defense released recruiting and retention statistics for the 2018 fiscal year that show the the Army having significant shortfalls in recruiting for it's active, reserve and National Guard components, while the Navy, Air Force and Marines met most of their goals.

The active Army recruited 69,972 soldiers out of a planned 76,500 in fiscal 2018, or 91 percent of it's goal. The Army Reserve and National Guard numbers were much more short of goals, with only 73 percent and 78 percent of their goals met respectively, leaving a total shortfall of planned recruiting for the service at over 25,500 personnel.

The Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps all met their active duty recruitment goals, with Reserve and National Guard components all meeting over 90 percent -- and some exceeding it.

The report stated that retention rates among all the services was strong and met requirements, but recruitment shortfalls may leave the Army Reserves, National Guard and Navy Reserves below their authorized end strength levels by the end of the year.

The 2018 budget request included a total authorized end strength of the four services at more than 2.1 million, with 815,900 in the Reserves and National Guard.

Total fiscal 2018 personnel costs, including civilian branch and Department of Defense employees, exceeded $272.7 billion, the Pentagon reported. This total includes costs like the Department of Defense Tricare health program and K-12 schools on military bases, among others.