Army fails to hit recruitment goals
Army Officials Voice Concern Over Shortfall in Recruitment
By ERIC SCHMITT
Published: March 4, 2005
WASHINGTON, March 3 – The Army is so short of new recruits that for first time in nearly five years it failed in February to fill its monthly quota of volunteers sent to boot camp. Army officials called it the latest ominous sign of the Iraq war’s impact on the military’s ability to enlist fresh troops.
“We’re very concerned about it,” Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday when asked about recruiting shortfalls in the active-duty Army and Army Reserve. “When people ask you what you worry about the most, I say there’s just two words: people and money.” </i>
This is not good news.