The U.S. Navy announced on Thursday that the service reached its fiscal 2026 goal of contracting 45,000 future sailors to man the fleet, continuing a trend over the past several years of successfully meeting its enlistment needs.
The service reached its goal three months early, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, after accomplishing the same feat in fiscal 2025.
“Today’s Navy is stronger because tens of thousands of Americans chose to answer the call to serve,” said Rear Adm. Jim Waters, commander of Navy Recruiting Command. “Reaching this milestone is not simply about achieving a recruiting objective — it’s about delivering the talented sailors our fleet needs to maintain readiness in an increasingly complex security environment.”
The service has completed a significant turnaround in recruitment over the past several years.
In fiscal 2023, the Navy whiffed on its enlistment goal of 37,700 sailors by more than 7,450 accessions.
But the service rebounded a year later in fiscal 2024 by surpassing its accession target of 40,600 recruits by 378.
And in fiscal 2025, the Navy brought in 44,096 future sailors, exceeding its target of 40,600 and marking the most recruits the Navy had seen since 2002.
Waters, speaking to reporters in October 2025, attributed the service’s success to relying on more recruiters, reducing administrative legwork and simplifying the tattoo approval process.
“Our recruiters never lost sight of what matters most — people,” Waters said in a Navy release. “Every contract represents someone who chose to serve something greater than themselves.”
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.