NATIONAL Defence Minister David McGuinty announced on Monday that for the second consecutive year, the Canadian Armed Forces surpassed its Regular Force recruiting target. In fiscal year 2025/26, the CAF enrolled 7,310 new members, surpassing its target of 6,957 new members and marking the highest number of enrolments in more than three decades.

This follows the historic changes to the military pay and compensation packages, announced last year – giving the dedicated men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces a long overdue pay raise, says the Department of National Defence.

In fiscal year 2026/27, the CAF will build on this progress with a recruiting objective of 8,200 enrolments. This reflects its ongoing commitment to expanding recruiting and training capacity to meet domestic and international operational demands and improve efficiency.

Building on this momentum, the CAF will introduce a Digital Onboarding System (DOS) in the next fiscal year. DOS will initially focus on high-impact onboarding activities that can be introduced earlier in the recruiting and training pipeline. The system is designed to better prepare candidates ahead of basic training by supporting administrative readiness, early engagement, and foundational mental and physical preparation.

Recruiting performance continues to trend positively, showing improvement and steady growth. The CAF continues to adapt its recruiting and training systems to respond to changing conditions and emerging demands.

“The Canadian Armed Forces’ continued recruiting success signals more than progress—it reflects a renewed strength at the core of our military. Our investments are delivering, and we are accelerating that momentum by modernizing recruitment, removing barriers to service, and upholding the high standards that ensure the CAF remains ready to defend Canada—at home and around the world,” said McGuinty.

“Our ability to deliver for Canadians starts with our people. Growing our ranks is essential to meeting Canada’s defence commitments at home and alongside our allies abroad, and we are seeing real progress as we modernize how we recruit and bring new members into the force. The priority now is to sustain and build on that momentum while expanding our capacity to train, integrate, and support those who choose to serve. This is how we will ensure the Canadian Armed Forces remains ready today—and prepared for the challenges ahead,” said General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff.

“Recruiting success is the foundation of a strong, resilient Canadian Armed Forces. With a new recruiting objective ahead, we continue to modernize how we attract and select individuals for service—while having the people, training capacity, and systems in place to support them throughout their careers,” said Lieutenant-General Erick Simoneau, Chief of Military Personnel and Commander of Military Personnel Command.

Quick Facts:

• In February 2025, the CAF announced a series of key initiatives to optimize and modernize the recruiting process including introducing a probationary period, streamlining security clearance processes, implementing a Scored Employment Application Form, modernizing, and re‑evaluating the common enrolment medical standards, and creating a new Online Applicant Portal.
• Basic Military Qualification and Basic Military Officer Qualification training capacity will be expanded to support a Strategic Intake Plan of 8,200 enrolments, supported by approximately 10,000 training seats to account for attrition and course sequencing between April 2026 and March 2027.
• The CAF provides numerous opportunities and experiences to members with more than 100 career options available, and pathways to greater education.
• As of April 2026, the Regular Force total strength is 67,827 members. With a net growth of nearly 5,000 new members over the last two years, the CAF is on track to reach an authorized strength of 71,500 by 2029 as directed by the Chief of the Defence Staff
• Continued recruiting growth remains critical as the CAF works toward rebuilding the force to its authorized strength. of 71,500 Regular Force and 30,000 Reserve Force members.
• The focus of the Digital Onboarding System is on shifting non-training administrative activities earlier in the pipeline to reduce administrative burden during BMQ / BMOQ and protect training time for core military skills. The DOS will support broader CAF personnel modernization by leveraging enterprise integration, reducing duplication across systems, enabling scalable personnel initiatives, and improving visibility of candidate progression and outcomes.