The 107th Attack Wing recently enlisted its 108th recruit of 2024 (between fresh recruits and prior service) just before the close of the year, an achievement that has only been accomplished twice before in the past 20 years.
This string of enlistments marks a considerable increase from 2023, during a prolonged period of challenges and obstacles shared by U.S. military recruiters across the country, say the recruiters of the 107th.
Recruiting into the military has always had its highs and lows, especially present day as any recruiter will echo. Ashish Vazrani, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, stated in a December 2023 article that during fiscal year 2023 the US military collectively missed recruiting goals by about 41,000 recruits.
Thanks to 107th recruiting efforts the wing currently stands at 740 of 779 authorized personnel (100% manning). The lowest the wing has ever been since being assigned the MQ-9 Reaper in 2014 was 708, only 90%.
Tech Sgt’s Ken Chudoba and Thomas Viau, 107th Recruiting Flight Chief and Production Recruiter respectively, cite medical waivers (most commonly), and a general lack of public awareness of guard opportunities, as common obstacles to recruitment.
“A lot of people we talk to, including active-duty personnel, don’t even realize the Air National Guard was even an option,” Chudoba said. “Once they hear of the benefits of local service, they get super intrigued. It’s our job as recruiters to break down those information barriers and let people know they can do this.”
“The vast majority of applicants I speak with have a positive attitude towards the military and military service. I struggle with getting them qualified to join,” Viau added.
Each state is responsible for meeting its own recruiting quota; as of February 2024, Tennessee Air National Guard maintains the highest end strength in the country at 107%, while DC held the lowest at 82%.
The recruitment pool for the seven Airmen assigned to 107th Recruiting is from their backyard in Niagara Falls to Rochester, and south to Jamestown.
According to Viau, some of the most challenging careers to recruit into are Public Affairs, largely because the field requires a comparatively high initial entrance testing score (the ASVAB), and Medical Officers, where professional degrees are required before the applicant is even considered qualified.
“In my experience the easiest posts to recruit to are in Civil Engineering, because they are mostly construction trade and have a lot of on and off base application, or security forces,” Viau said.
Despite challenging recruiting times, only the Marine Corps and the Air National Guard met or exceeded their recruiting goals, according to a January 2023 Department of Defense press release.
“Bonus Incentives- Having the option of giving out bonuses from $50,000 for National Bonuses and $25,000 for Local Bonuses greatly assisted us with closing enlistments,” said Chudoba. “We’ve also changed our marketing strategies, focusing on new markets and messaging and long-term return on investment.”
The 107th Recruiting Team remains positive they can keep their momentum into 2025.
“The team is energized, and laser focused on exceeding 2024’s efforts”, said Lt. Col. Kiley Hand, 107th Force Support Squadron commander.
“We were able to gain an additional $88,000 this year to upgrading and outfitting our trailer, we’re all excited show it off,” Viau added.
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