The U.S. Air Force and Space Force reached their fiscal year 2026 recruitment goals five months ahead of schedule, according to a Tuesday Air Education and Training Command Facebook post.
The Air Force had a goal of enlisting 32,750 active-duty airmen, and the Space Force set an enlisted goal of 730 new recruits, according to a fiscal 2026 Air Force Accessions Center recruiting snapshot.
“Recruiting success like this reflects the mission of the Air Force Accessions Center, which integrates recruiting and officer accession programs to attract and develop the next generation of Airmen and Guardians,” the Facebook post reads.
In a Wednesday social media post, the Air Force said “mission accomplished” in reference to the met goal and highlighted the force’s Delayed Entry Program, which serves as a waiting list of signed up recruits that are approved to join the military but need to wait for space in Basic Military Training.
In 2025, the Air Force had its strongest Delayed Entry Program numbers in the past decade, with over 14,000 recruits, per a June 2025 Air Force release.
“With our Delayed Entry Program at its largest level in a decade, the future of our force is secure and ready,” the service’s social media post reads.
With fiscal 2026 beginning in October 2025, the Department of Defense announced it met nearly 40% of its DEP accession goals already.
The military overall in fiscal 2025 met or exceeded their recruiting numbers following shortfalls in recent years due to a competitive job market and a smaller number of young Americans qualified for service.
At the Pentagon press briefing Thursday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth commended the historic recruiting numbers and the Air and Space Force for meeting the recruitment goals ahead of schedule. He noted that the U.S. Army and Marine Corps will “soon do the same.”
Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.
