Services report recruiting gains but say childcare, housing and dining remain priorities as FY25 NDAA rules roll out

Senior leaders from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force told the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel on a panel that recruiting and retention have improved but that quality-of-life reforms in the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act are still being implemented and unevenly felt by service members and families.

Lieutenant General Brian Eifler, U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff, said, "We are currently on glide path to surpass our goal without lowering standards," describing Army recruiting and a continued emphasis on barracks and housing renovations and dining facility updates as priorities tied to readiness.

Why it matters: Members of Congress and service leaders told the panel that improved recruiting will not be sustained unless service members and families see tangible improvements in housing, childcare, medical access and dining. Subcommittee members pressed witnesses for specifics about where changes are visible, where shortfalls remain and how the services are reaching junior enlisted personnel.

The services described a mix of progress and continuing gaps. Vice Admiral Richard Cheeseman, U.S. Navy Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Personnel, said the 10% junior-enlisted pay raise has been "most welcome" for sailors but warned it was funded for FY '25 only and must be sustained in future budgets. He credited streamlined medical waiver reviews, added recruiters and prep-course expansion with a historic Navy contracting year, saying the Navy "exceeded our increased contracting goal by implementing real time data informed processes." The Navy also cites targeted efforts on housing, parking and internet access at key locations.

Lieutenant General Michael Borgschulte, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, said the Marine Corps has "exceeded" recruiting goals and reached "historic heights" in retention, attributing gains to incentives and family-support programs while urging continued investment in barracks and childcare. Borgschulte described local, short-term fixes such as "Operation Clean Sweep," where units receive funds to repair barracks pending larger construction programs.

Lieutenant General Caroline Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel, said the Air Force has improved recruiting through higher recruiting manning, training changes and a strengthened delayed-entry program, and emphasized work to expand childcare options, community-based fee assistance and family childcare providers.

Catherine Kelly, Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Human Capital, said the Space Force exceeded its FY24 enlisted recruiting goal by 4% and reported a guardian retention rate at an "all time high of 96% today with a goal of landing at 92% by the end of this year." Kelly also highlighted a need for 24/7 childcare options for operators who work nonstandard shifts.

Members and witnesses stressed childcare staffing as a chokepoint: the Army briefed that some child development centers face manning at roughly 84% while services reported efforts to raise pay for direct-care providers and simplify credential portability for military spouses. Witnesses also described increasing the number of facilities (for example, the Army built what it called its largest CDC) and piloting pay and recruitment incentives for childcare workers.

Dining facilities and barracks were cited repeatedly. Representative Crank described reporting from Fort Carson of inadequately stocked dining facilities and asked how the subcommittee could help; Lieutenant General Eifler described forecasting failures tied to return of forces and said leadership corrected the problem. The Army and Marine witnesses said they are pursuing both long-term construction and short-term refurbishment to address living conditions.

The panel repeatedly linked quality-of-life measures to recruiting and retention. Several witnesses asked Congress for steady, predictable funding and timely appropriations to avoid continuing resolutions that complicate planning. The chair suggested a communications push to make service members and families aware of the changes enacted under the FY25 NDAA.

Looking ahead: Witnesses said they will continue to implement FY25 NDAA-authorized reforms and to seek exemptions or targeted hiring authority where staffing shortfalls impede services such as childcare. Members said they will monitor execution and consider legislative or budgetary follow-up as needed.