FEBRUARY 13, 2026 – There’s a new sheriff in town. That’s a phrase often heard to describe new leadership. For U.S. Army Recruiting Command, commonly called USAREC, it’s the same old sheriff but the territory is new.
Today, USAREC manages the entire process from first contact to first unit of assignment, known as the Force Generation Pipeline.
The recruiters and drill sergeants who transform civilians into Soldiers instill the knowledge and warrior ethos they’ll need before joining their first unit.
As part of its transformation, USAREC has merged several functions that were previously separate organizations under the Training and Doctrine Command and Headquarters, Department of the Army.
This change consolidates Army marketing and branding managed by the Army Enterprise Marketing Office, enlisted recruiting, and officer commissioning sources such as U.S. Army Cadet Command into one unified family.
In addition to these responsibilities, USAREC’s oversight has now expanded to include the Army’s initial military training.
Why is this change so important and how does it benefit the Army to have initial military training under the same command responsible for marketing and recruiting today’s youth?
Prior to the change, tracking applicants from when they first talked with a recruiter or responded to a marketing ad until they graduated Advanced Individual Training was more challenging.
That’s because the individual’s journey spanned multiple commands.
Placing the process under the control of one 3-star headquarters gives USAREC the ability to use emerging technology to precisely match its over 60,000 recruited Soldiers and 5,000 commissioned Officers each year to the Army’s emerging requirements.
Understanding variables that lead to the highest success rates, then adjusting operations at the right place in the pipeline can help the Army save money while maximizing each applicant’s potential.
USAREC also aims to better understand the factors that lead to some recruits failing to make it to or through initial military training.
At U.S. Army Training Center & Fort Jackson stands a sign with the words, “We Make American Soldiers!” Once USAREC’s drill sergeants makes those soldiers, they leave the Force Generation Pipeline ready to report to Fort Stewart, Fort Drum or anywhere around the world to support and defend the Constitution as they swore to do before beginning their U.S. Army journey.
Story by Col. Ellis Gales
U.S. Army Recruiting Command