Army's recruiting problems 'like having a persistent drought'

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-army09.html

WASHINGTON -- The Army appears likely to fall short of its full-year recruiting goal for the first time since 1999, raising longer-term questions about a military embroiled in its first protracted wars since switching from the draft to a volunteer force 32 years ago.

Many young people and their parents have grown more wary of Army service because of the likelihood of being dispatched on combat tours to Iraq or Afghanistan, polls show. U.S. troops are dying at a rate of two a day in Iraq, more than two years after President Bush declared major combat operations had ended.

Officials said Wednesday that although the Army will not release its numbers until Friday, it fell about 25 percent short of its target of signing up 6,700 recruits in May. The gap would have been even wider but for the fact that the target was lowered by 1,350.

The Army said it lowered the May target to "adjust for changing market conditions," knowing that the difference will have to be made up in the months ahead.

[Coventina]

1. "changing market conditions"?????

:wtf:

[Supersedeas]

9. lower the target - to better the image of the Company, of course

[BooScout]

2. Here comes the draft. n/t

[MADem]

3. Reading between the lines

I read "knowing that the difference will have to be made up in the months ahead" as "realizing that the Joint Chiefs will have to ask Congress for a draft authority by 2006."

There's no other way, if they want to continue on this "nation building" road to oil and ruin.

[DFWJock]

4. No worries

Im sure all the republican war cheerleaders will start to enlist in mass numbers any day now.
*holding breath*

[stevedeshazer]

5. That's the first sign they fell well short of their May goals

And why they chose to delay the release of the recruiting numbers by ten days.

They're supposed to release the numbers in their Friday news dump.

[Wright Patman]

7. The unofficial figures are already out there

"WASHINGTON, June 7 - Even after reducing its recruiting target for May, the Army missed it by about 25 percent, Army officials said on Tuesday. The shortfall would have been even bigger had the Army stuck to its original goal for the month.

"On Friday, the Army is expected to announce that it met only 75 percent of its recruiting goal for May, the fourth consecutive monthly shortfall in the number of new recruits. Just over 5,000 new recruits enlisted in May.

"But the news could have appeared worse. Early last month, the Army, with no public notice, lowered its long-stated May goal to 6,700 recruits from 8,050. Compared with the original target, the Army achieved only 62.6 percent of its goal for the month. ... "

Rest of article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/08/politics/08recruit.html?

[stevedeshazer]

8. Thanks, hadn't seen that

Looks like it's even worse than I thought!

[AValdoux]

6. CNN radio blurp

In their coverage of the story on their top of the hour news break they quoted a pentagon spokesman, that the low numbers were attributed to "the strong economy & the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan" Aren't popular wars for our freedom & democracy suppose to help recruitment? The economy is strong for rich people who wouldn't sign up any way.


AValdoux

[PsyOpsRunsOurCountry]

10. This drought should make the rivers of blood dry up...n/t