Officials Announce Recruiting, Retention Data for Fiscal 2013

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2013 - All four active services met or exceeded their numerical accession goals for fiscal 2013, Defense Department officials announced today.

Here are the accession numbers for the active services and how they compare with the fiscal year's goals:

-- Army: 69,154 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 69,000;

-- Navy: 40,112 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 40,112;

-- Marine Corps: 32,215 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 32,200; and

-- Air Force: 26,275 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 26,275.

The Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps exhibited strong retention numbers for the final month of fiscal 2013, officials said. The Navy exhibited strong retention numbers in the mid-career and career categories, they added, explaining that its 82 percent retention in the initial category relates to reduced accessions from four to six years ago.

Four of the six reserve components met or exceeded their fiscal 2013 numerical accession goals. The Army Reserve finished 2,572 accessions short of its goal. The Army Reserve finished 3,689 accessions short of its goal, and the Army National Guard was 351 accessions short.

Here are the reserve-component numbers:

-- Army National Guard: 49,299 accessions, 99 percent of its goal of 49,650;

-- Army Reserve: 26,191 accessions, 88 percent of its goal of 29,880;

-- Navy Reserve: 5,584 accessions, 101 percent of its goal of 5,504;

-- Marine Corps Reserve: 8,798 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 8,798;

-- Air National Guard: 10,737 accessions, 102 percent of its goal of 10,500; and

-- Air Force Reserve: 7,846 accessions, 135 percent of its goal of 5,817.

All reserve components met their attrition goals, and current trends are expected to continue, officials said. This indicator lags by a month due to data availability, they added.