内容摘要：Pope Leo XIV’s waves to people before his formal inauguration of his pontificate with a Mass in St. Peter’s Square attended by heads of state, royalty and ordinary faithful, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV’s waves to people before his formal inauguration of his pontificate with a Mass in St. Peter’s Square attended by heads of state, royalty and ordinary faithful, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editorsA home is destroyed after a severe storm passed the area on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

A home is destroyed after a severe storm passed the area on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)A home is destroyed after a severe storm passed the area on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)A home is destroyed after a severe storm passed the area on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Edwina Wilson, left, and family friend Melvin Brock sift through what is left of Wilson’s destroyed home, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in London, Ky., after a severe storm passed through the area. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Edwina Wilson, left, and family friend Melvin Brock sift through what is left of Wilson’s destroyed home, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in London, Ky., after a severe storm passed through the area. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Anthony Broughton digs through the debris of his destroyed home following a severe storm in the Sunshine Hill neighborhood of London, Ky., Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Anthony Broughton digs through the debris of his destroyed home following a severe storm in the Sunshine Hill neighborhood of London, Ky., Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)Find AP Fact Checks here:

U.S. military recruitment hasfollowing a downturn caused primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic, low unemployment and stiff competition from the private sector.

Posts circulating widely on social media give President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth credit for this increase, a claim that has been pushed by the president and others in his administration.shows the uptick began well before Trump’s reelection in November and experts point to actions taken by the military during the Biden administration as key reasons for the increase.