Marines Say ‘Unapologetic’ Standards Drove Recruiting As Pentagon Raises The Bar Across Military

The U.S. Marines hit their recruiting goal for the fiscal year, attributing their success to the “unapologetic” push for standards emblematic of the Trump-era Pentagon.

The Marines pulled in 30,536 active duty and reserve recruits in fiscal year 2025, even while tempering the flow of recruits to account for training capacity. The Marine Corps championed its renowned high standards as one of the reasons for the strong recruitment drive, a sentiment which War Secretary Pete Hegseth is aiming to emulate throughout the whole of the Armed Forces.

“Everywhere I’ve been in the country, the American people know the Marine Corps has very high standards and that we stick to them,” Lt. Gen. William Bowers told the AP. “If you try to appeal to everybody, you won’t get the people you maybe really want.”

Hegseth announced a slew of directives Tuesday aimed at bolstering standards throughout the military, including mandatory physical training (PT) tests for generals at least twice a year and daily PT regimens for all soldiers. The Pentagon has made a large push in the opening of Hegseth’s tenure to boost standards for combat roles, facial hair regulations, and general conduct among soldiers.

The Army and Air Force hit their recruitment targets months ahead of schedule for the fiscal year, following a general upward trend for military recruitment overall since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sagging recruitment was a problem across all branches of the Armed Forces under the Biden admin’s left-wing policies, which some critics allege helped dissuade potential recruits from joining up. In 2022, for example, the Army fell short of its annual recruiting benchmark by about 25%.

The Marine Corps did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.