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Year-end recruit goal in reach, but not easy

Shortfalls in the recruiting numbers for May and June have caused furrowed brows among the Army’s top brass, even though they report they’ll squeak through on the year-end goal.

“I still think we’re going to get to 80,000 by the end of the year, but it’s going to be hard,” Army Vice Chief of Staff Richard Cody said Thursday during a talk before the membership of the Association of the U.S. Army.

The Army is going into fiscal 2008 with a small number of recruits on the delayed entry program, he said.

“We’re all worried about that,” he said, noting that he “needs all leaders to encourage Americans to serve.”

Cody pointed out that since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Army has recruited more than 900,000 soldiers and more than 700,000 soldiers have re-enlisted.

After 23 consecutive months of meeting incremental recruiting goals, the Army reported deficits in the last two months of the third quarter in fiscal 2007.

June produced the worst showing for the active component in two years, with 7,031 soldiers recruited, or 84 percent of its goal of 8,400.

May’s active-component shortfall was smaller. Of a goal of 5,500, recruiters brought in 5,101 new soldiers, or 93 percent of the goal.

The numbers caused a significant slump for the fiscal year, but successes in the previous 23 months, according to the Army, have maintained the service at 101 percent of its year-to-date goal.

The Reserve is at 96 percent of its annual goal and the National Guard stands on par with the active component at 101 percent.

U.S. Army Accessions Command leaders have pointed out repeatedly in recent months that the pool of potential recruits stands at about 37 percent of people between the ages of 17 to 24.

The dearth of eligible young men and women, according to the Army, is due to several factors including a dip in patriotism, poor physical or mental ability, and parents dissuading their children from serving as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue.