Canadian Armed Forces Recruitment Surge, Targets in Sight

0:00Canadian Armed Forces just hit a big recruiting milestone, with regular Force Enrollment jumping to 7,310 new members last. Year, the highest in over 30 years, reserves crushed their target by 137 percent too. But despite the surge, there's still 1000 short of the 2017 goals, 67,827 full-timers, against 71,500 needed, and reserves at 25,054 out of 30,000. Defense Minister David McGuinty dropped these numbers, Monday, saying over 44,000 people applied to go full-time. He predicts if momentum holds, they'll smash those targets before the 2029 deadline. Earlier audits slammed the military for slow processing in bottlenecks, with weights dragging up to 270 days, and applicants bailing. Fults were hyped to join but frustrated by the red tape. Now things are speeding up. Average weights down to 134 days, thanks to better pay and benefits, rolled out last year.

1:01That combos pulling in talent and helping keep it, even as attrition hit 8.5 percent, matching allies but of a bit. Looking ahead, they're aiming for 8,200 new regulars next year, though training spots are tight. Momentum's building, so the forces might just close that gap sooner than expected. Local news, powered by AI, this is Calgary News Today.