Factors contributing to the increase in average recruit age may include economic strain, loosened restrictions on entry, and a cultural shift at the Department of Defense.

After multiple years of failing to meet recruiting goals, the United States Army has taken several drastic measures over the past half-decade to loosen barriers to entry. This has included relaxing hard bans on recruits’ prior drug use, and looking the other way when it came to tattoos. It also began offering pre-boot camp training to prepare potential soldiers for the entrance exams. The efforts paid off: in fiscal years 2024 (FY 2024) and 2025 (FY 2025), the Army exceeded its quotas.

One side effect of the recruitment changes has been an uptick in the ages of recruits at their enlistment. In FY 2026, the average age of recruits was 22.7, up from 21.7 in the early 2000s and 21.1 in the 2010s—according to a Military Times report citing data from Madison Bonzo, the Army Recruiting Division’s chief of media relations.

College and Post-College Army Recruits

The United States Armed Forces has had to adapt to recruiting challenges, especially as many younger people have enrolled in college or found other job opportunities. The “traditional high school to boot camp pipeline” has given way to other paths to entry as the US Army looks to attract recruits in new places.

“One of the primary things we started working on in 2025—and it has continued—is expanding our market,” said Brig. Gen. Sara Dudley, the commanding general of the US Army Recruiting Division, during a January media roundtable.

The global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional recruiting channels, as high schools closed and classes moved online. The US Army, like other branches of the military, has employed social media campaigns, some directed at different audiences. In addition, the military has sought to promote service as an alternative career path, including for those who may have already attended college.

“We have been trying hard to generate mechanisms through which to reach an older population in the United States that still qualify to serve in the military and [are] possibly more motivated because their round one and round two plans didn’t go the way they thought they were going to go,” Dudley added.

The Army has also sought to recruit individuals with skills in professional fields that many 18-year-olds lack.

The Army’s Average Recruiting Age Has Gone Up Before

As the Military Times also noted, this isn’t the first time the age of recruits has risen in response to external factors. During the “Great Recession,” when many people considered military service as an alternative to entering a staid job market, the US Army saw its average enlistment age rise to 22.7, falling slightly to 22.4 in 2008.

By contrast, in the early 1970s, the average age of enlistees and draftees was around 19-20 years old, including for combat roles. However, when the military transitioned to an all-volunteer force in 1973, the mean age of active-duty enlisted members was approximately 25 years.

Throughout the 1980s, the Army faced a shrinking pool of 17-21-year-olds and first saw older, more experienced, and notably better-educated soldiers in the ranks.

Is Hegseth’s “Warfighting” Emphasis Responsible for the Change?

The US Army may also see a shift in the types of individuals who opt for military service. Michael O’Hanlon, the Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy at the Brookings Institution, told the Military Times that some slightly older individuals may be interested in military service after opting not to enlist during the previous administration.

“[Secretary of Defense Pete] Hegseth, whether you agree with his campaign against so-called wokeness or not, has sort of changed the image of DOD, and he probably is getting a slightly different demographic,” O’Hanlon suggested. “So, this could be, to some extent, deferred interest from people who might have been less inclined to join up during the last four years.”

At the same time, others who may have sought to serve their country may not be included in Hegseth’s efforts to focus on a “warrior ethos.” How that affects the age of recruits is something only time will tell.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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