Army Recruiting Up, Meets July Targets (Guard & Reserve miss target)

[sabra]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/08/10/national/w084504D96.DTL&type=printable

Army Recruiting Up, Meets July Targets

(08-10) 08:45 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

The active-duty Army reached its recruiting target for the second straight month in July, but the summertime rebound may not be enough for the service to fulfill its annual goal, according to figures provided by a Pentagon spokesman Wednesday.

The Army National Guard, meanwhile, missed its recruiting goal again, recruiting only 4,712, 80 percent of its July goal of 5,920 new Guard members, spokesman Bryan Whitman said. The Guard has hit its target only once in the last 19 months.

The U.S. Army Reserve also fell short of its target, recruiting 2,131 new reservists, 82 percent of its goal of 2,585, Whitman said.

The Pentagon has blamed the recruiting shortfalls in part on an economy that's providing other opportunities to high school and college graduates. Opinion polls also show young people and parents are turning away from Army service because of the ongoing combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[atreides1]

1. Once Again

The Army lowered their target number so they can crow about meeting their goal.

[Javaman]

32. didn't they bullshit their last excuse by saying it was a season lowering?

They lowered the limit because, "seasonly" this time of the year they usually get less recruits?

Let's watch and see if they raise it next month back to were it was before...cough, cough, bullshit, cough, cough...

colossal failure*

[Oerdin]

44. The army lowered it's target numbers twice.

Not just once.

[Avalux]

2. Yeah, I believe the Pentagon.

"The Pentagon has blamed the recruiting shortfalls in part on an economy that's providing other opportunities to high school and college graduates."

:rofl:

I guess that's why they have to recruit high school dropouts.

[sabra]

3. but * said the economy is so good

</sarcasm>

[atreides1]

4. Other opportunities

Like that long line at Burger King!!!

[samsingh]

6. they are cross-selling their bullshit.

[meganmonkey]

5. The Army numbers look off to me - I think they readjusted the monthly

goals just so they could say they met them, because they don't seem to add up...

"So far (year from Oct04-present), 55,207 new recruits have enlisted, 89 percent of its year-to-date target of 62,385.

The Army measures its annual goal from October 2004 to September 2005, which coincides with the federal budget year. The Army is trying to enlist 80,000 by the end of September. Officials are not confident they will make up the shortfall by then, although they have made progress during the summer, which is considered the high season for recruiting, as recent high school graduates look for work."

So the total goal is 80,000 for the year - which means that even if they met the goals up to now and had their 62,385 recruits - they would still need to get almost 18,000 in 2 months...doesn't seem to break down right per month. I know recruiting goes up in the summer, maybe that explains it, but does it really go up that much?

[Darkhawk32]

15. April's goal was 8,000. 8086 is no big accomplishment. n/t

[Eugene]

34. They admit it: Army poised to miss 2005 recruiting goal

Army poised to miss 2005 recruiting goal

The Army, aiming to get 80,000 recruits this year, stood 11 percent
behind its year-to-date goal at the end of July, with just two months
left to overcome a shortfall of more than 7,000. It has not missed an
annual recruiting goal since 1999.
<snip>

"I know our recruiters are going to do what they can to close the gap,
but right now it looks like we will miss both active and reserve (goals)
at the end of the year," said Army Recruiting Command spokesman Douglas
Smith.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-08-10T205100Z_01_N10516228_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-IRAQ-USA-RECRUITING-DC.XML

[louis-t]

7. Typical faux numbers.

There is no such thing as 'Army Reserve' anymore! You're going to Iraq, boys and girls. Have a nice day.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. If you believe this, then the Army recruited 8,086 in July.

[Darkhawk32]

13. Ok, let's say they did... this is supposed to be their BUSY season...

Students are graduating and joining up during this time.

8086 barely beats April's goal of 8000.

Mind you they lowered May's goal to 6700 and June's Goal to 5650.

I will try to find out last year's July goal and in years past.

[tabasco]

29. PERSCOM admitted lowering the monthly goals ...

but said that 80,000 remianed their annual goal.

That will be the number they miss by a long shot.

[yorkiemommie1]

9. ahh... must be all of those YAffies

the Young Americans for Freedom and the Young Repugs!

[noamnety]

10. Where does it say what the July goal was?

Or how many people enlisted?

[TahitiNut]

11. (1) Shoot arrow. (2) Draw bullseye.

:shrug:

[SlowDownFast]

18. That's it. You got it perfect.

Nothing else need be said about this story.

[tabasco]

30. 3) Annotate OER Support Form

"Achieved monthly recruiting quota 45 out of 48 months in the rating period!"


Oopsie! Missed the annual goal by 30% though.

[DoBotherMe]

12. Is enlist when the recruit goes to basic?

A young man at our office was called by his recruiting officer the last week of July and told that he would get a $2,000 bonus if he would agree to ship off to basic the next day: He was scheduled to appear on August 27. He declined. But I thought maybe the Marines were trying to improve the monthly numbers by offering the early recruitment. I'm just not clear on what comprises "enlist." D ; )

[Bumblebee]

14. Just occurred to me that Pentagon "renaming" the war into a

global struggle (Meyers was very much into that) and talking about dramatically reducing troops next year (even though B. keeps saying no exit date, no exit date), are recruitment tools. You have to convince people first that the war will be over or almost over before they contemplate enlisting. Last two months is about right. There probably has been a peak of sorts -- all based on Pentagon's new PR which often contradicts B's.

[LibDemAlways]

16. According to a recent NYT article,

4 of the top 12 recruiter "producers" are in Guam, as the military is actively going after poor kids in the US terrorities. What's next? Handing out green cards like candy on the streets of Mexico and in Central America to entice impoverished teenagers to come to the US to become cannon fodder?

Desperate to avoid a draft, but determined to see PNAC through, who knows how low the neocons will stoop.

[Roy]

28. and folks thought the (one) 'minute' men.....

were massing at the border to shoot crossing brown people. NO, They each have a bundle of recruitment applications, with the promise of ' if you live.... then you might have a shot at an american job.

If you have the highest raghead body count, then citizenship is yours baby.

[DemoTex]

17. I saw several slick new Army ads on Comedy Central last night.

Seems like an ad blitz is now on. They make the big green killing machine look so romantic. Liars.

[VegasWolf]

19. Only mullet head FReeper rednecks believe ANYTHING that comes

from this administration anymore.

[no_to_war_economy]

20. Army Recruiting Up, Meets July Targets

The active-duty Army reached its recruiting target for the second straight month in July, but the summertime rebound may not be enough for the service to fulfill its annual goal, according to figures provided by a Pentagon spokesman Wednesday.

The Army National Guard, meanwhile, missed its recruiting goal again, recruiting only 4,712, 80 percent of its July goal of 5,920 new Guard members, spokesman Bryan Whitman said. The Guard has hit its target only once in the last 19 months.

The U.S. Army Reserve also fell short of its target, recruiting 2,131 new reservists, 82 percent of its goal of 2,585, Whitman said.

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20050810/D8BT22287.html

[Captain Hilts]

21. Didn't they lower their official goals a few months back? (nt)

[rodeodance]

22. are they counting noncitizens from Guam etc?-- Was it the army that

reduced its goals a few months ago? I do not recall which branh of the military did this.

[Roland99]

23. How much are they bribing new recruits to sign up now?

[ls317]

24. Dont forget the increase the age of recruits...

You can be 42 and still sign on for active duty

[Roland99]

26. Whew...I better get moving. Only 3 more years left to sign up!!

[LSparkle]

25. I can hear Cheney now: "Tank the economy, then they'll join up ...

Oh, and give 'em a bigger bonus and raise the eligible age. That should just about do it."

[tom_paine]

27. This is almost certainly a half-truth or "statistical adjustment"

No question about. It is the typical Bushevik response to a problem.

Coincidentally, minus murderous violence, it was the dientiucal response of the Nazis and the Soviets to "inconvenient facts".

And AP is as reliable a "news" organization as Soviet Pavda when it comes to debunking the Lies of THE PARTY.

I am so tired of lies. I am so tired of NOT living in the Free World!

I want to be FREE again, and not just this pale shadow of what was, this clock counting down to when the Bush Grandchildren, already sharpening their murderous teeth at prep schools around the nation.

It will be THEY, the Nero/Caligulan Generation of Bushes, who will finally strip the bullshit away from their (Virtual-)Slave Empire (but, to be honest, it will probably be the NICEST Slave-Based Empire that ever was for it's Imperial Subjects-- that's the "Virtual" part...no, nothing even close to what we enjoy today, but isn't that progress that our Totalitarianism will be so much NICER than the Nazis?)

Anyway, to drag this back to the original topic, one simple rule is all that need to be remembered to deal with Imperial Pronouncements like this.

The Busheviks lie in identical fashion (though the actual lies are different and not ususally race-based, at least their public lies) to the Soviets. The Busheviks lie with equal frequency to the Nazis.
In otherwords, this figure is likely a partial lie orperhaps a total one.

Anyway

[Canuckistanian]

31. The real or "new and imporved" recuitment targets?

It would have to be up significantly to make up for months of shortfall.
They'll never make the yearly target.

[MADem]

33. What the article does NOT tell you

...is what the goal was for July 2004. Get that number, compare, and then you know how bad they are hurting. Even with stop-loss and contract enforcement, they are not pulling the numbers, and everyone knows it. The annual goal will tell the tale, as will the troops deployed in the sandbox who will start feeling the pain when replacements fail to arrive. Also, when stateside and "civilized overseas" billets remain unfilled, you'll see strains at those installations as well.

Anyone can get under the limbo bar if it is held over your head!

[Mammoth]

35. but TONS of folks will get inspired by the 9/11 Freedom Walk!

...and since you have to register to march, https://www.penfed.org/freedomwalk/register.asp
recruiters will know just how to get in touch with ya to tap some of that light sweet patriotism and get ya to join the war, um, struggle, um, war for sweet light crude. oooh wee!
Ain't jingoism grand.

[jarab]

36. kick

...O...

[tabasco]

37. Army poised to miss 2005 recruiting goal

THE US Army, hard pressed to attract new soldiers amid the Iraq war, exceeded its July recruiting goal but seems doomed to miss its target for the year, while the Army Reserve and National Guard fell short of their goals again.

Full story:

http://www.gg2.net/viewnews.asp?nid=557&tid=countryNews&catid=UK%20News


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

This means real problems for front line infantry units, already hurting for personnel. Every soldier in a squad has an important job and when you start losing guys and not getting replacements, it makes things much more dangerous.

Maybe Bush can call out republicans under 42 years of age and tell them to "bring it on" to the recruiting station. I'm sure the freepers would all rush to sign up for the war they love to cheerlead. :mad:

[LynzM]

38. Ugh, yeah.

And they only 'met' the July goal because they lowered the goal :eyes: Well, if we can't meet the standard, we'll just lower it! That's a great plan, guys. All hat, no cowboy.

[movonne]

39. Well, don't you think they would have to lower the standards to

get the Repugs ????

[LynzM]

40. Yeah, but they didn't just lower the standards

Although they did that, too. They lowered the target number of recruits, as well. You know, if we can't get to 100, let's just change the goal to 80. "Good enough for government work"

[DemsUnite]

41. Geez, who wouldn't want to die in a senseless war?

[anitar1]

42. I read a few days ago that they are recruiting kids from

Saipan, Guam and other territories. These kids are eager to get out into the world and off their islands, and fall for the line. One recruiter was bragging about his sign-up bonuses.

[Endangered Specie]

43. Let me guess, their 'targets' are a fraction of what they were.

what are the recruiters doing now? Offering prostitutes, breast implants , threats ?(they actually did the latter two)