The Navy said 5,982 recruits joined in the past year on that policy and, in total, the two programs netted the service 11,354 recruits, or just over one-quarter of its annual goal.

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Michael O’Connell might be under the command of the Navy Medicine Operational Training Command but he can also call himself the Best Warrior.

The Army and Navy had early recruiting successes with new pre-basic training programs aimed at helping subpar applicants qualify for enlistment, but so far other service branches are reluctant to ...