Army to use patriotic appeal after missing recruiting goals again
WASHINGTON – The Army probably will fall short of its monthly enlistment goals again in March and April but expects a new emphasis on patriotic pitches to make up the difference later, Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey said Wednesday.
In February, for the first time in five years, the Army’s active, Reserve and National Guard components missed their monthly recruiting goals. Now, the Army has forecast that it will fall short this month and in April, Harvey said at a Pentagon news conference.
“So are we concerned? Absolutely,” Harvey said.
Despite the possible three-month shortfall, Harvey added that there’s time to reach annual goals and that he’s “cautiously optimistic.”
“I’m clearly not going to give up,” he said. “At this stage we still have six months to go. And I’ve challenged our human resource people to get as innovative as they can.”
The Army has been struggling to fill its ranks as the war in Iraq, which has claimed the lives of more than 1,500 service members, enters its third year. It’s increased enlistment bonuses, the number of recruiters and the maximum enlistment age for the Reserve and Guard.
The Army’s usual peacetime pitches – money for college, vocational training – aren’t so appealing when weighed against the perils of one or more tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
So it’s crafting pitches appealing to parents’ patriotism, since recruiters have encountered resistance from people reluctant to send their sons and daughters into harm’s way.
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