The Army fell about 15,000 soldiers — or 25% — short of its recruitment goal this year, officials confirmed Friday, despite a frantic effort to make up the widely expected gap in a year when all the military services struggled in a tight jobs market to find young people willing and fit to enlist.“We’re going to be starting 2023 in a tougher position than we started 2022.”Military leaders used increased enlistment bonuses and other programs to try and build their numbers this year, but they say it’s getting more and more difficult to compete with private industry in the tight labor market.And as they look to the future, they worry that if the declining enlistment trends continue, the Pentagon may have to reassess its force requirements and find ways to make the military a more attractive profession to the eroding number of young Americans who can meet mental and physical requirements for service.The large recruiting shortfall was offset a bit by the Army’s ability to exceed its retention goal — keeping 104% of the targeted number of troops in the service.During a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the recruiting challenges, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., challenged the services to “think outside the box, creating new career paths, offering innovative pay and incentive structures, and realigning some capabilities from military to civilian workforces should all be on the table.”"