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U.S. NEWS Saturday 22 September 2018

APNewsBreak: Army misses 2018 recruiting goal

By LOLITA C. BALDOR the soldier was in uniform
WASHINGTON (AP) — For and was able to talk about
the first time since 2005, the his Army job while on air.
U.S. Army missed its recruit- "We reached 2.4 million
ing goal this year, falling people over one hour, and
short by about 6,500 sol- he was able to get the mes-
diers, despite pouring an sage out," said Muth.
extra $200 million into bo- The goal, he said, is to have
nuses and approving some recruiters in uniform playing
additional waivers for bad the games in tournaments,
conduct or health issues. reaching out to their target
Army leaders said they audience. The soldiers will
signed up about 70,000 be restricted on the games
new active duty recruits they will be able to play,
in the fiscal year that ends and there will be oversight
Sept. 30 — well below the by senior officers.
76,500 they needed. The In addition, he said the
Army National Guard and Army's Golden Knights
Army Reserves also fell far parachute demonstration
short of their goals, by more team, the Marksmanship
than 12,000 and 5,000 re- Unit and other similar teams
spectively. The Navy, Air that travel the country will
Force and Marine Corps, now be used mainly as re-
meanwhile, all met their re- In this June 4, 2017, file photo. nNew Army recruits take part in a swearing in ceremony before a cruiting tools.
cruiting goals for 2018. baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Colorado Rockies in San Diego. "When these games or
The Army's shortfall, said Associated Press these events occur, the fo-
Maj. Gen. Joe Calloway, cus and the number one
was fueled by the strong "There was hope that they ment needs. At that time, their families answer the priority is recruitment and
American economy and would be able to do the the Army brought in more phone in these digital days. prospecting and getting
increased competition same thing this year," he recruits with misconduct When recruiters call a par- leads," said Muth.
from private sector employ- said. "That did not pan out." waivers, triggering disci- ent or other adult, "nobody The immersion into gaming
ers who can pay more. But The recruiting struggles pline and other problems. wants to talk to us," Muth is reflective of a larger on-
the failure has triggered an come at the end of a tu- The Army is planning to said. "If we do get ahold line presence that recruiters
overhaul in Army recruiting, multuous year for the Army, grow to 500,000 by 2024, of a potential recruit, they will use to find and reach
including an increase in which faced questions triggering increased recruit- actually don't want to talk recruits. Muth said they will
recruiters, expanded mar- from Congress over its ex- ing goals. Initially the Army to you on the phone, what now use Facebook, Twitter,
keting and a new effort to panded use of waivers for was supposed to recruit they want to do is meet Instagram, Snapchat and
reach out to young, poten- recruits with previous mari- 80,000 this year, but that you online first in some Twitch on their government
tial recruits through popular juana use, bad conduct was cut to 76,500 in April, type of digital format and phones to speak online
online gaming. and some health problems. as more serving soldiers re- then, if they agree to meet with young people.
"We obviously thought we The debate prompted the enlisted. with you, you can get the He said if a recruiter visits a
would do better than that," Army to cut back on some Military recruiters have phone call." high school and a student
said Calloway, director of waivers and require higher struggled to compete in a So, Muth said Army recruit- "likes" the local recruiting
military personnel manage- level officers to approve growing U.S. economy, with ing is moving deeper into Facebook page, the sol-
ment for the Army, when ones involving drug use low unemployment rates the online world. dier can follow up and
asked about the recruit- and some health and con- and private companies That will include sending message the student to see
ing gap in an Associated duct issues. paying more to graduating teams of recruiters into if they are interested in the
Press interview. He said Top Army leaders have re- seniors. Only about 30 per- CrossFit sports competitions Army.
there were several thou- peatedly said they are not cent of 17- to 24-year-olds and popular gaming con- It's too soon to tell if any of
sand permanent legal resi- lowering standards to meet meet the physical, mental tests such as Ultimate Fight- the new online maneuvers
dents seeking to enlist, but higher recruiting goals. But and moral requirements for er, Madden Football or the are working. Muth said the
they did not get through they have faced skepticism the military, and only one in addictive Fortnite: Battle first quarter of the year will
the screening process in from Congress, amid con- eight are interested in serv- Royale, an online survival be critical. "I don't have
time. And, he said that in cerns the service would re- ing. game. benchmarks yet," he said.
the last three years Army peat mistakes made during Finding those few is a chal- Muth said an Army recruiter "But history will tell you if you
recruiters have brought in the peak of the Iraq and lenge. from Baton Rouge, Louisi- talk to any recruiter, you've
3,000-5,000 more enlistees Afghanistan wars more Calloway and Maj. Gen. ana, who has a high rank- got to come out strong.
than planned during the than a decade ago when Frank Muth, head of Army ing on Ultimate Fighter, And it's the momentum
last three months of the fis- it rushed to add soldiers to Recruiting Command, said served as an emcee at a you build that carries you
cal year. the ranks to meet deploy- fewer potential recruits or recent tournament. He said through the year."q