Stripes: Navy, Army miss June reserve recruit goals

[lebkuchen]

The Army National Guard fell decidedly short of its recruiting goals in June, leaving recruiters just three more months to make up the looming gap between the number of contracts in hand and their fiscal 2005 goals.

Army National Guard recruiters hoped to ship 5,032 candidates to boot camp in June, according to statistics released Monday by the Pentagon.

Instead, recruiters tallied just 4,337 “accessions,” as the services call recruits reporting to basic training — 86 percent of the goal.

The Navy Reserve also lagged in June, meeting only 92 percent of its recruiting target, after hitting 94 percent of its May target.

<cut>

Blum predicted that the Army Guard would be able to make up for its personnel shortfall “probably in the next 18 months.”

If I can’t close that ,” Blum said, “then I’ve got to ask for additional incentives, I’ve got to ask for more bonuses, I’ve got to start changing some of the business models of how we’re going to get there.”


http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=30326

I question the rest of the "cheery" stats in this article because June is the first month that the Pentagon took over the release of recruitment statistics for all military branches due to four previous months of gloomy numbers.

[Mari333]

1. Sooprise, Sooprise, Sooprise! says Gomer Pyle

draft the young republicans.

[hadrons]

2. were they saying that the summer months would be where they catch up?

I guess the beach is more inviting than the desert

[merwin]

3. Actually, they said just a few weeks ago that they were well above target.

[Tempest]

4. Sure, after they lowered the target

The target in May was over 8,600 recruits.

The target in June was 5,400 recruits.


Next month the target will be 2 recruits and they'll claim they were wildly successful.

[tabasco]

6. That's correct. Annual goal of 80,000 is unchanged.

They're not gonna make it. It won't even be close.

As much as these republicans squeal support for the war, they are not flocking to the recruiters to join up.

Amazing hypocrisy.

[Tempest]

7. They need more than 10,000 recruits a month to make it

They got less than half that in June.

And as the summer wears on and school starts in the fall, the numbers will drop even further.

[existentialist]

16. hypocrisy

They are not supporting the troops either. They are not giving them the equipment they need. They have cut benefits, they have under-budgeted Veteran's hospitals.

In short they are shafting servicemen and veterans left and right, and then screaming that the Democrats don't support the troops.

[lebkuchen]

12. Chief of the National Guard calls the monthly goals "meaningless"

Though missing goals would mark the second year in row for the Army Guard, Blum said he does not see the situation “as a crisis.”

“Those goals that you’re talking about are artificial goals that are frankly, honestly meaningless,” Blum said.

Instead, he said, “The goal that you really want to keep your eye on is my authorized end strength” of 350,000 soldiers, “and my assigned strength,” which is currently about 330,000 troops.

“I need roughly 20,000 soldiers” to fill the gap, Blum said.

****************

If monthly quotas don't mean much, why have the recruitment officers had to seek counseling in order to meet them?

For Army Recruiters, a Hard Toll From a Hard Sell

http://www.thepowerhour.com/news/recruiters_awol.htm

[lebkuchen]

5. They are now giving themselves 18 months to do so

kinda like adding 12 years to the original 6 months Rummy had projected to "fix" Iraq.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. These figures are all subject to interpretation now that chimp is in

control. The whole fucking government is being run like an arbusto scam corporation.

[catmandu57]

9. Navy also

that's something to make you scratch your chin on, I know there have been navy casualties on the ground in Iraq, but it's still a relative safe branch.
As of now there aren't other navies out there gunning for our ships.

[geckosfeet]

10. hypocrosy runs rampant through *'s administration. They should

pay the soldiers like they are paying Halliburton employees. Maybe that would help.

[yorkiemommie1]

11. oh, i dunno, Blum...

....sounds like you're gonna have to get out that big butterfly net after all!

here's the deal: get yourself a hummer and have it painted all black w/ blacked out windows so's they can't see you coming, heh,heh.

then whoever's riding shotgun sticks out this big butterfly net, see, and snatches the unsuspecting cannon fodder! off they go to the big sandbox in Iraq!

[Solly Mack]

13. Hey! Look for my LTTE regarding Rove. Estripes called this AM

to confirm.

[lebkuchen]

18. FANTASTIC!

Thank you, Solly Mack!

[Earth_First]

14. "I’ve got to start changing some of the business models"

business models!?

I'm not sure if I am elated or distressed that my assertions of the military are given justification each time the DOD/Pentagon are quoted.

[JPZenger]

15. Air Force Has Guys Driving Trucks in Iraq

Because of a shortage of army troops, the Air Force has guys driving trucks in Iraq (which is one of the more dangerous jobs). I'd expect the same thing to happen for the Navy. Therefore, some people may join the Navy thinking it is safe, and then be sent to the middle of the conflict.

The same thing happened in Vietnam. Some guys joined the Coast Guard, thinking that was a great way to avoid being drafted for the Army in Vietnam. However, the Coast Guard then sent guys to man river patrol boats in Vietnam, which was one of the most dangerous jobs.

(During Vietnam, the Navy never had to use the draft. They had plenty of volunteers because everyone wanted to avoid the Army).

[greekspeak]

17. Bet there're enough Freeperlets of age that the armed forces could...

make quota every month. But almost all of them are chickenhawks like mama and dada, and have "more important things to do with their lives." Like shit. They do shit I have heard. I think their rationale is that there are people for that--Why else do you think Jesus created minorities and poor people?