Army Recruiting Falls Short For Two Months Straight

WASHINGTON — The Army failed to meet its recruiting goal in June, raising concern that the unpopular Iraq war and strong economy could wreak even more havoc on enlistments.

Army officials acknowledged yesterday that the service missed its recruiting target for the second month in a row, but would not provide exact numbers. But two defense officials said the Army fell short of its 8,400 goal by about 15% — which is more than twice the June shortfall and would mean that roughly 7,000 recruits signed up.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the recruiting numbers are not scheduled for release until today.

Last month, the Army said it recruited 5,101 new soldiers in May, about 7% short of its 5,500 goal for that month.

Army spokesman Colonel Dan Baggio said the Army is still on track to meet its annual goal of 80,000 recruits for the fiscal year that ends September 30, since it exceeded targets earlier in the year. But he added, "This is not necessarily a rosy picture. We're not taking this lightly."

The slip in May was the first time in about two years that the Army did not meet recruiting goals.