SAN ANTONIO – The U.S. Army has lofty goals when it comes to recruiting this year.
As a whole, the Department of Defense wants to add thousands of soldiers in 2018, and it's looking at quality over quantity.
Meanwhile San Antonio recruitment divisions have goals of their own as they try to recruit applicants who can be effective in more technology-involved warfare.
Command Sgt. Major Michael Brobston, of the San Antonio recruiting battalion, shared five things you need to know about local Army recruiting:
1. Recruitment numbers for the San Antonio battalion are up
Brobston said there are 3,168 soldiers enlisted now and more than 500 in reserve. His recruitment area goes from San Antonio to El Paso and Corpus Christi to the coast.
It’s a higher number we had than last year by far, so you’re looking at about a 20 percent increase than we’ve had in previous years and we are looking for the most qualified people for our nation’s finest Army."
2. Recruitment is changing
The Army and the fighting styles of the battlefield have changed, and with it, so has recruitment, Brobston said.
The technologies are only growing with our adversaries and so we have to overcome those adversaries in the U.S. and keep up with them, so those degree plans and the smartest and fastest, that’s what we are looking for."
3. They're aiming for the most qualified
Recruiters are always looking for more and more numbers, Brobston said, but it’s quality over quantity, and they are asking for local help.
We need our communities to help us get into those grad markets (and) spread the word of the Army that we aren't just here to pull triggers and run through the mud (and) drive Humvees, we need those science degrees and those engineering degrees."
Serving is not the stereotypical "crawl through the mud/load the Humvee" Army, Brobston said, and they need to recruit accordingly.
Our (science, technology, math and engineering) efforts are big right now, so gone are the days of your grandfather's Army of 'shoot-move-communicate.' Now our communications are satellites missiles, technology (and) computers."
4. Recruiting is challenging
One of the bigger problems in recruiting Brobston said the Army faces is numbers: 70 percent of Army applicants in San Antonio are already veterans, so it narrows the applicant pool, and the physical tests are weeding out applicants.
The obesity problem in our country is increasing, so that poses a problem because we are not looking to decrease our standards to protect our country."
5. They have a recruitment goal
Brobston said he has two focuses:
Be the greatest Army in the planet -- that’s what the San Antonio recruiting battalion is going to do -- and we are looking at putting in 4,000 people this year."
Below is an infographic with more on U.S. Army recruiting and YouTube videos on recruitment. (Click here if you can not see the infographic)