Although economic hard-times haven’t been so great for some, the U.S. Military’s recruitment office is riding a wave of success. Actually, this year will mark the first time it’s been able to meet enlistment goals since 1973, when the United States put an end to the draft.

The AFP reports that the military’s recipe for success was high unemployment (the largest group of out-of-work Americans in 26 years) mixed in with a multi-billion dollar campaign to attract potential recruits.

The U.S. Army saw the biggest surge—beating its goal of 65,000 by 5,045—while the U.S. Navy (35,500), U.S. Marine Corps (31,400) and U.S. Air Force (31,980) exceeded its goals by 27, 13 and three, respectively.