7,310 new Regular Force members enrolled in fiscal year 2025/26 — exceeding targets and marking the strongest recruiting performance since the height of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan
Ottawa, April 20, 2026 — The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have announced a major milestone in their ongoing effort to rebuild and modernize Canada’s military. For the second year in a row, the CAF has not only met but surpassed its Regular Force recruiting objective, enrolling 7,310 new members in fiscal year 2025/26 against a target of 6,957. This represents the highest level of recruitment in more than three decades.
The achievement is even more notable when viewed against recent history. Just four years ago, in 2021/22, the CAF enrolled only 4,782 new members; in 2020/21 the number had dipped as low as 2,011. The jump to 7,310 in 2025/26 is a clear sign that sustained investments in recruiting infrastructure, digital tools, and targeted incentives are paying off.
Applications have surged dramatically. The CAF received 44,818 ACE-verified applicants in 2025/26 — more than triple the 12,269 received in 2023/24 and nearly five times the volume seen in 2020/21.
Demographic diversity also improved:
- Women made up 17.1% of new enrolments (1,275 members).
- Indigenous recruits accounted for 3.3% (241 members).
- Racialized persons represented 35.2% of new members (2,488).
- Permanent residents (PRs) contributed a record 1,400 enrolments — the highest since the policy change allowing PRs to join in late 2022.
The Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and its detachment at CFB Borden delivered its most productive year since the Afghanistan era, training 7,219 new members with a 77% graduation rate.
Several modernization initiatives introduced over the past few years appear to be making a difference:
- Digital Recruiting System (DRS) and Online Application Portal 2.0 have streamlined processing, reduced administrative burden, and improved communication with applicants.
- The Digital Onboarding System (DOS) now prepares recruits earlier for basic training, helping them arrive mentally and physically ready.
- The Critical Occupation Recruiting Allowance (CORA), launched on November 1, 2025, offers financial incentives to Non-Commissioned Members in chronically understrength trades. Most CORA-eligible occupations hit at least 90% of their strategic intake targets in 2025/26.
Permanent residents are now eligible for more than 90 occupations, further expanding the talent pool (with a three-year physical-presence requirement for most roles introduced in February 2026).
Buoyed by this momentum, the CAF has set an ambitious target of 8,200 new enrolments for fiscal year 2026/27 — an increase of more than 12% over the current year’s achievement. To support that goal, training capacity is being expanded to approximately 10,000 seats at the Recruit School to account for sequencing and normal attrition.
Despite the record numbers, challenges remain. Critical shortages persist in key occupations essential to operational readiness. The Department of National Defence has acknowledged findings from the Auditor General’s report on recruiting and is continuing to refine systems, strengthen training management, and improve the overall applicant experience.
This recruiting success aligns directly with the government’s defence policy, “Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence”. As Canada faces growing strategic competition in the Arctic and beyond, a larger, more diverse, and better-prepared force is essential. The CAF’s ability to attract and train thousands more Canadians — and permanent residents — signals that the military is once again becoming an attractive career choice for a new generation.
The Department of National Defence encourages interested Canadians to visit the CAF’s recruiting website for information on careers, benefits, and eligibility. With digital tools now in place and political will behind further growth, the coming year could mark another historic chapter in Canadian military recruiting.
