QUANTICO, Va. (AP) — The Army, Navy and Air Force, with encouragement from the Trump administration, all announced this summer that they had met their recruiting goals months ahead of schedule.

That is a major shift from the past several years when the military has failed to meet its recruiting goals because of complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, tight job markets and a growing generation of young Americans struggling to meet fitness and academic standards. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the turnaround as an early victory, arguing that recruits had been put off by what he called a weakened military under Democratic President Joe Biden.

However, the uptick began well before President Donald Trump won office again in November, and a major driver has been programs the services

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