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Only two states or territories missed their retention goals for the Army National Guard for fiscal year 2021, with two others missing retention goals for the Air Guard, according to a new report from The Associated Press.
Citing the National Guard Bureau, the news outlet reported that more Guardsmen have decided to prolong their military careers amid the ongoing pandemic and ongoing Guard missions.
The improved retention over the previous two years have offset recruiting shortfalls, officials said.
According to numbers from the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, only Ohio and California did not make or exceed their retention goals for the Army Guard, according to the report. Only the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands fell short in the Air Guard.
However, the AP noted the Virgin Islands has just 67 airmen in total, so losing seven led to them missing their retention goals.
In the last fiscal year before the pandemic, only 10 states and territories met their retention goals for the Army Guard. And 40 met their Air Guard goals.
Nationwide, the Army Guard retained about 87% of its goal in 2019, 102% in 2020 and 116% in 2021, the AP reported. The Air Guard met its goal of 90% retention in 2019 and last year retained more than 93%.
The outlet reported that Guard leaders believe the significant increase in retention since March 2020 is a direct impact of the COVID-19 missions many Guardsmen have taken part in.
“We believe that it is because of the impact that our service members have made during this COVID pandemic,” said Brig. Gen. Isabel Rivera Smith, director of the Joint Staff for the New York Guard.
“The whole idea of neighbors helping neighbors is really inspiring,” added Col. Wes Nichols Jr., the Air Guard’s deputy director for personnel and recruiting.
