U.S. Army Faces Recruiting Woes Amid Iraq War

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army has fallen behind its recruiting goals, officials said on Thursday, amid the violence of an Iraq (news - web sites) war that has now claimed more than 1,500 American lives.

"The war is obviously having an effect," said Army Recruiting Command spokesman Douglas Smith. "Our recruiters are having to spend more time with hesitation on the part of potential applicants and their families. People are very alert to the fact of the risks that go along with Army service."

The active-duty U.S. Army missed its recruiting target for February by 27.5 percent, and had slipped about 6 percent behind its year-to-date goal for fiscal 2005, which ends Sept. 30, the Army Recruiting Command said. That marked the first time since May 2000 the Army missed a monthly recruiting goal.

"It is a matter of concern," said chief Pentagon (news - web sites) spokesman Lawrence Di Rita, adding the Army had increased enlistment bonuses and boosted by 20 percent its number of recruiters.

The Army Reserve and Army National Guard, whose part-time soldiers have shouldered a heavy load in the Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites) wars, also are reporting recruiting shortfalls. The Army Reserve missed its goals in January and February and is behind its recruiting targets for the year.

The Army National Guard, which missed its 2004 recruiting target, did not provide February numbers, but said it had shortfalls for the first four months of the current fiscal year through January.

Separately, the Marine Corps said on Wednesday it missed its goals for recruits signing up in January and February. The Marines said they met last month's target for new recruits actually entering boot camps.

The Army and Marines provide the ground forces battling a violent insurgency in Iraq.

'BASIC BARGAIN'

The United States ended the draft and went to an all-volunteer military in 1973 amid the tumult of the Vietnam War era. The Iraq war represents the first test of the all-volunteer military in a protracted war-time environment, said Lexington Institute defense analyst Loren Thompson.

"The basic bargain the all-volunteer force offers is secure employment at a middle-class salary, in return for which war-fighters periodically risk their lives," Thompson said.

Thompson said most of the conflicts in the all-volunteer era had been brief or minor, adding, "Now, we get to test the proposition of whether people will serve when their lives might be on the line in large numbers."

An improving economy and job opportunities in the civilian sector also have affected recruiting, Smith said.

He said the Army could offer recruits no guarantees about duty in Iraq. "Recruiters have to be quite up-front with applicants in saying that we can't tell you for sure whether or not -- or when -- you're going to be deployed," Smith said.

Di Rita said the Army believes it can meet its recruiting goals for the year.

The 500,000-strong Army has not missed an annual recruiting goal since 1999, and aims for 80,000 recruits in 2005. It fell 1,936 short of its February goal of 7,050, and through February was 1,823 short of its year-to-date goal of 29,185 recruits.

The 210,000-strong Army Reserve has set a 2005 goal of 22,175 recruits. Through February, it was 643 behind its target of 6,230 after falling 330 short of its monthly goal of 1,320.

The 345,000-strong Army National Guard fell about 7,000 short of last year's recruiting goal of 56,000. It aims for 63,000 recruits this year. Through January, it was 4,014 behind its target of 16,835.