NOVEMBER 30, 2024 — The Army continued its recruiting transformation this week by announcing Atlanta and Los Angeles as the future locations for two new regional recruiting headquarters.
Once operational by next summer, these commands will oversee the five enlisted recruiting brigades and have a mission to enhance communication and improve the service’s ability to attract and retain a high-quality workforce.
“We’re going to improve the relationships with local leaders in these locations which will open doors for our recruiters and help us to synchronize our message, said U.S. Army Recruiting Command Brig. Gen. Sara Dudley, deputy commanding general for operations. Our goal is to provide the Army with the right mix of people so our formations can excel.”
The Army chose these locations based on their travel accessibility, community engagement, quality of life, and proximity to military installations. Both commands will fall under USAREC, be led by a deputy commanding general, and have approximately 30 personnel.
The exact locations of each headquarters building have not been determined yet. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Recruiting Brigades will fall under the east command, while the 4th and 5th Recruiting Brigades will be under the west.
This regional headquarters decision comes a year after the secretary of the Army and chief of staff of the Army announced the recruiting enterprise would undergo a major transformation, including a realignment and restructure of USAREC.
Since then, Army recruiting has updated its training programs, added two new recruiter military occupational specialties, expanded the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, developed the Go Recruit mobile application, and restructured the organization by incorporating the Army Enterprise Marketing Office.
These changes have started to make an impact with the service exceeding its 2024 recruiting goal by sending more than 55,000 recruits to basic combat training. The Army also more than doubled its goal for the delayed entry program, adding another 11,000 future recruits.
“Our investment in people and the Army’s investment in recruiting made fiscal year ’24 a success,” said Maj. Gen. Johnny Davis, USAREC commanding general. “There are no words to express how proud I am of the hardworking recruiters that crushed it in every community. As we kick start [fiscal year 2025], we will continue to invest in the people, maintain momentum, transform the enterprise, and innovate our workforce.”
Last month, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth announced the service’s fiscal year 2025 goal of 61,000 recruits, with another 10,000 for the delayed entry program.
The transformation at USAREC isn’t done as the command continues to innovate with strategy and structure while bringing the two new regional headquarters online next year.
“The Army Recruiting Command continues to evolve our strategic approach to meeting future demands of recruiting the all-volunteer Army,” said U.S. Recruiting Command Brig. Gen. Fred Hockett, deputy commanding general for support. “In response to those demands, the Army’s recruiting enterprise has made a concerted effort to keep up with industry standards through the Secretary of the Army-directed transformation. Expanding our footprint in densely populated cities like Los Angeles and Atlanta will help us to better engage community leaders, respond to a changing environment, and recruit the highest quality Army personnel possible.”
By Christopher Hurd
Army News Service