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                  Saturday 21 april 2018

            Army lowers 2017 recruiting goal; more soldiers staying on



            By LOLITA C. BALDOR                                                                                                 to an arrest. But in Decem-
            Associated Press                                                                                                    ber, Snow said his goal for
            WASHINGTON  (AP)  —  The                                                                                            2017  was  to  have  fewer
            U.S.  Army  will  not  meet  its                                                                                    than 2 percent of the new
            mission to recruit 80,000 ac-                                                                                       recruits   be   considered
            tive  duty  soldiers  this  year                                                                                    “category  four,”  meaning
            and  has  officially  lowered                                                                                       they  scored  31  or  less,  out
            that goal. But Army leaders                                                                                         of 99, on the aptitude test.
            said  the  service  has  been                                                                                       Esper  said  Friday  that  he
            able  to  encourage  more                                                                                           had directed that the Army
            experienced service mem-                                                                                            not  exceed  the  2  percent
            bers  to  stay  on  the  job  to                                                                                    limit,  even  though  the  De-
            satisfy  a  growing  demand                                                                                         fense  Department  allows
            for troops.                                                                                                         up to 4 percent.
            Army  Sgt.  Maj.  Daniel  Dai-                                                                                      Military  leaders  have  in-
            ley said Friday that the up-                                                                                        creasingly  warned  of  re-
            dated  goal  will  be  76,500.                                                                                      cruiting  challenges,  noting
            Six  months  into  the  recruit-                                                                                    that  lower  unemployment,
            ing  year,  the  service  has                                                                                       a  strong  economy  and
            brought  in  just  28,000  new                                                                                      the declining quality of the
            soldiers.  Dailey  said  the                                                                                        youth market have steadi-
            goal is to grow the Army to   The Pentagon is seen in this aerial view in Washington, in this March 27, 2008 file photo.   ly  shrunk  the  number  of
            483,500,  as  approved  by                                                                         Associated Press  young  people  considered
            Congress, and it’s up to the  ity  for  quantity  and  that  last year that the higher en-  health issues.          eligible to be recruits.
            Army whether to use more  standards  will  not  be  low-  listment goal would be dif-  Asked  if  the  Army  has  ap-  Defense officials have also
            recruiting  or  re-enlistment.  ered  to  meet  recruiting  ficult  to  meet,  considering  proved more waivers so far  complained  that  despite
            He  said  that  retaining  cur-  goals.                   economic  factors  and  the  this year, Esper and Dailey  the  last  16  years  of  war  in
            rent soldiers has been more  The  struggle  to  meet  this  military’s  need  for  recruits  said  they  didn’t  know  to-  Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria,
            successful this year than in  year’s   higher   recruiting  to  pass  strict  physical  test-  tals.  The  Army  has  histori-  the  American  public  is  in-
            the  past,  with  86  percent  numbers  —  a  significant  ing that many young peo-    cally  kept  and  provided  creasingly    disconnected
            staying   on,   compared  increase  over  last  year’s  ple can’t complete.            detailed data on waivers.    from the military, and they
            with 81 percent in previous  mission of 69,000 — was ex-  “This mission is going to be  “The numbers don’t tell the  say  many  people  have
            years. Army Secretary Mark  pected, mainly due to the  a  significant  challenge  for  whole  story,”  Dailey  said,  misperceptions about serv-
            Esper  said  there  is  a  mis-  favorable American econ-  the command,” he told The  adding that waivers require  ing and often don’t person-
            match  between  the  num-    omy  and  increased  com-    Associated Press in Decem-   the  Army  to  take  a  closer  ally know any service mem-
            ber  of  soldiers  in  the  Army  petition from private sector  ber. Meeting the increased  look  at  a  recruit  who  may  bers.
            and the demand for more  employers who are able to  mission this year, Snow said,  have had a legal problem  This  time  of  year  is  usually
            troops, and acknowledged  pay graduates more mon-         could  force  the  Army  to  when  they  were  younger,  the toughest for military re-
            that  the  “strong  economy  ey.                          take  in  more  recruits  who  smoked  pot,  or  has  had  cruiters, since this is the peri-
            does make it challenging.”  Maj. Gen. Jeff Snow, head  would  require  waivers  for  some  type  of  heath  prob-   od when high school seniors
            He said, however, that the  of  the  Army’s  recruiting  marijuana  use,  low  test  lem. The issue could range  start  getting  acceptance
            Army will not sacrifice qual-  command,  predicted  late  scores or other more basic  from  simple  colorblindness  letters from colleges.q



                                                                      Senate panel talks to Russian

                                                                      lawyer who met with Trump Jr.




                                                                      Berlin  hotel,  according  to  dossier was discussed more  The  Senate  investigators
                                                                      the  person,  who  spoke  on  than her involvement in the  have  expressed  interest  in
                                                                      condition of anonymity be-   Trump Tower meeting.         determining  whether  the
                                                                      cause the details of the in-  A  spokeswoman  for  Sen-   meeting was part of a Rus-
                                                                      terview are confidential.    ate  Intelligence  Commit-   sian  government  effort  to
                                                                      The  interview  lasted  about  tee   Chairman   Richard  help Donald Trump’s White
                                                                      three  hours  and  was  fo-  Burr,  R-N.C.,  didn’t  return  House  campaign,  which
                                                                      cused on information con-    a  request  for  comment.  A  was  how  it  was  described
                                                                      tained  in  a  collection  of  spokeswoman  for  Virginia  in emails to Trump Jr. in the
             In this July 11, 2017, file photo, Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia   memos  compiled  by  a  Sen.  Mark  Warner,  the  top  days before it occurred.
            Veselnitskaya speaks to journalists in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday,   former  British  spy,  whose  Democrat  on  the  panel,  Veselnitskaya  has  denied
            July 11, 2017.                                            worked was funded by the  declined to comment.            having any ties to the Rus-
                                                     Associated Press  Democratic National Com-    Trump  Jr.,  along  with  the  sian  government.  She  is  a
            By  DESMOND  BUTLER  and  met  U.S.  Senate  investiga-   mittee  and  the  campaign  president’s      son-in-law,  well-connected    Moscow
            MARY CLARE JALONICK          tors in Berlin, a person famil-  of Hillary Clinton. The dossier  Jared  Kushner,  and  then-  lawyer  who  has  worked
            Associated Press             iar  with  the  interview  told  contains  numerous  allega-  campaign  chairman  Paul  with  a  company  called
            WASHINGTON  (AP)  —  A  The Associated Press.             tions of Russian ties to Don-  Manafort  met  with  Vesel-  Prevezon Holdings Ltd. and
            Russian  lawyer  who  dis-   Senate  intelligence  com-   ald  Trump,  his  associates  nitskaya in June 2016 after  its owner, who is the son of
            cussed sanctions with Don-   mittee investigators looking  and  the  Trump  campaign.  Trump Jr. was told in emails  a  former  Russian  govern-
            ald  Trump  Jr.  at  a  Trump  into Russian interference in  The person familiar with the  that she could provide po-  ment  official  and  a  fierce
            Tower  meeting  during  the  the campaign interviewed  conversation,  who  spoke  tentially  incriminating  in-     advocate  for  rolling  back
            2016  campaign  recently  Natalia  Veselnitskaya  at  a  to  Veselnitskaya,  said  the  formation  about  Clinton.  U.S. sanctions.q
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