ARLINGTON, Va. — All active-duty branches of the service met their recruiting goals for July, and the Army is “cautiously optimistic” that it will meet its recruiting goal for fiscal 2006. However, officials said some Reserve components fell short.
The Army made 104 percent of its July recruiting goal with about 10,900 recruits, marking the 14th consecutive month that the Army has met its recruiting goals, officials said.
To date this fiscal year, the Army has recruited about 62,505 soldiers, or about 78 percent of its goal of 80,000 for fiscal 2006, officials said.
Also Thursday, the Defense Department announced the Marine Corps made 112 percent of its July recruiting goal with about 3,200 new recruits; and the Navy and Air Force each made 100 percent of their July goals with about 4,000 and 2,100 recruits respectively.
All active branches of the service are at or above their year-to-date recruiting, according to the Defense Department.
If the recruiting trend continues, the Army is on track to meet its fiscal 2006 goal, said retired Col. Jeff Spara, chief of the enlisted accessions division.
Spara credited the apparent turn-around in the Army’s recruiting slump to an increased number of recruiters and more recruitment tools authorized by Congress, such as a bonus program under which soldiers get $1,000 for referring recruits to the Army who complete basic training.
Asked whether the Army was bringing in lower quality soldiers to meet its recruiting goals, Spara said, “Everyone who joins the service is qualified.”
He acknowledged there has been a “slight up-tick” in moral and medical waivers issued for recruits since the middle of 2005, but he said that 88 percent of moral waivers are for misdemeanor offenses, such as purchasing tobacco underage.
“Maybe kids are getting into more trouble,” he said.
Also Thursday, the Defense Department announced the Army National Guard met about 75 percent of its July recruiting goal with about 5,000 new recruits, and the Army Reserve met about 87 percent of its goal with 3,750 recruits.
Spara said both the National Guard and Army Reserve are close to their year-to-date recruiting goals and are expected to come “very close” to their recruiting goals this fiscal year.
In other news Thursday, the Defense Department announced the Air National Guard met 105 percent of its July recruiting goal with about 772 recruits; the Marine Corps Reserve met 103 percent of its monthly goal with about 900 recruits; and the Air Force Reserve met 100 percent of its goal with 550 recruits.
Meanwhile, the Navy Reserve lagged behind, meeting 89 percent of its July recruiting goal with about 980 recruits, according to the Defense Department.
