U.S. Army ends 4-month recruiting slump in June

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U.S. Army ends 4-month recruiting slump in June





The U.S. Army, hard pressed to attract new soldiers amid the Iraq war, exceeded its monthly recruiting goal in June, ending four straight months of shortfalls, the top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday.

But the Army, three-quarters through fiscal 2005, remained about 7,800 behind its year-to-date target and still was in danger of missing its first annual recruiting goal since 1999, officials said. The fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

"I will tell you that for the month of June, the United States Army active recruiting is over 100 percent of its goal, which is a turnaround from where they've been the last several months," Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told an audience of Pentagon employees.

"So there's a bit of good news in here. We'll see how it works out the rest of the year," Myers added.

Myers did not provide specific figures, but military officials provided preliminary data showing the active-duty Army exceeded its June recruiting goal of 5,650 by 507 and the Army Reserve topped its June target of 3,610 by 41. The final official numbers for June, set to be released by the Pentagon on July 11, could be slightly different, the officials said.

The active-duty Army's goal for fiscal 2005 is 80,000 recruits. The Army provides most of the roughly 138,000 U.S. ground troops in Iraq, with the Marine Corps providing a lesser number.

Army officials have said potential recruits and their families have been wary of service during the Iraq war, and civilian job opportunities also are affecting recruiting.

In May, the active-duty Army lowered its recruiting goal and still missed it by 25 percent. It also fell short in February, March and April. Army officials have been expressing optimism about a recruiting turnaround in the summer months after high school graduates begin to decide on careers.

Myers' comments came a day before Army officials were scheduled to testify before Congress about recruiting problems.







2005 Reuters