Army tops monthly recruiting goal again

WASHINGTON – The active-duty Army hit its recruiting target in July for a second straight month, but the summertime rebound may not be enough to make up for a long-term shortfall, according to figures the Pentagon provided Wednesday.

The Army National Guard, meanwhile, missed its goal again, recruiting only 4,712, or 80 percent, of its July target, spokesman Bryan Whitman said. The Guard has hit its target only once in the past 19 months and remains far from its yearly goals.

The U.S. Army Reserve also fell short of its target, recruiting 2,131 new reservists, 82 percent of its goal, Whitman said. The Reserve also is behind is annual goal.

The Pentagon has blamed the recruiting shortfalls in part on an economy that’s providing other opportunities to high school and college graduates. Opinion polls also show young people and parents are turning away from Army service because of the combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Army and Marines have suffered the bulk of the casualties there.

Whitman called July a “pretty good month” for active-duty recruiting but said the active-duty Army remains below its year-to-date recruiting goal. So far, 55,207 new recruits have enlisted, 89 percent of its year-to-date target of 62,385.

For July, the Army recruited 8,085 new soldiers, 109 percent of its goal of 7,450.

The Army measures its annual goal from October 2004 to September 2005, which coincides with the federal budget year. The Army is trying to enlist 80,000 by the end of September.