Army Says New Recruits at Record Low

October 31, 2007 · Filed Under Military, U.S. News

The Army began its recruiting year Oct. 1 with fewer signed up for basic training than in any year since it became an all-volunteer service in 1973.

Gen. William S. Wallace, whose duties as commander of Army Training and Doctrine Command include management of recruiting, told reporters at the Pentagon that the historic dip will make it harder to achieve the full-year recruiting goal—after just barely reaching it in the year ended Sept. 30.

Achieving the Army’s recruiting goals is a challenge even in the best of times, but finding new recruits is more important than ever with the Army being so heavily deployed.

The Army has decided that it must grow its active-duty force by several thousand soldiers a year in order to relieve strain on war-weary troops.

With a mixture of financial and other incentives, Gen. Wallace feels confident that he will meet the recruiting goal of 80,000 troops.

The Army is currently offering an incentive they call the “Quick Ship Bonus.” This offers a new recruit an additional $20,000 bonus if he/she agrees to leave for basic training the same month as they sign-up.