The active-duty Army hit its recruiting target in July for a second straight month, but the summertime rebound may not be enough to make up for a long-term shortfall, according to figures the Pentagon provided Wednesday.
Whitman called July a "pretty good month" for active-duty recruiting but said the active-duty Army remains below its year-to-date recruiting goal. So far, 55,207 new recruits have enlisted, 89 percent of its year-to-date target of 62,385.
For July, the Army recruited 8,085 new soldiers, 109 percent of its goal of 7,450.
The Army measures its annual goal from October 2004 to September 2005, which coincides with the federal budget year. The Army is trying to enlist 80,000 by the end of September. Officials are not confident they will make up the shortfall by then, although they have made progress during the summer, considered the high season for recruiting as recent high school graduates look for work.
The Army also has increased the number of recruiters, and augmented incentives for those signing up.
The active-duty Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps are at or slightly ahead of their year-to-date goals, Whitman said. The Marine and Air Force reserves have also met or exceeded their goals, but the Air National Guard is behind, he said.
Whitman said the military is generally meeting its goals for retaining current soldiers. Officials credit that to a desire on the part of the troops to finish the mission of making Iraq a stable democracy.
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