Army Likely to Fall Short in Recruiting, General Says
By ERIC SCHMITT
Published: July 24, 2005
WASHINGTON, July 23 - The Army's top personnel officer acknowledged this week that the service will probably miss its recruiting goal this year, the first public admission by a senior Army official and a stark reminder of the Iraq war's impact on enlistments.
The officer, Lt. Gen. Franklin L. Hagenbeck, said in testimony to the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee on Tuesday that an improving economy, competition from private industry and an increasing number of parents who are less supportive of military service meant that the active-duty Army, as well as the Army Reserve and Army National Guard, would fall short of their annual quotas.
"We will likely miss recruiting missions for all three components," said General Hagenbeck, voicing publicly what many senior Army officials have said privately for weeks....
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The gloomy forecast from General Hagenbeck came as the Army announced this week its latest package of recruiting bonuses, college funds and special pay for high-demand jobs. Under the new program, active-duty recruits could accrue more than $100,000 in incentives.
In addition, the Pentagon this week formally asked Congress to increase the maximum age for military recruits to 42, in all branches of the armed services. Currently, the limit is 39 for people without previous military experience who want to enlist in the reserves and the National Guard, and 35 for those wanting active-duty positions....
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/politics/24recruit.html 
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