NYT/AP: Turnaround in Recruiting Puts (Natl.) Guard on Path for Expansion

[DeepModem Mom]

Turnaround in Recruiting Puts Guard on Path for Expansion
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 31, 2006


WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (AP) — National Guard officials said Monday that recruiting had accelerated so much in recent months that they expected to expand the Guard even as the Bush administration proposes to shrink it.

The National Guard Bureau, the Pentagon office that administers the Guard, issued a statement outlining a turnaround in recruiting and predicting that it would continue to rise this year. In the last quarter of 2005, the Guard signed up 13,466 recruits, above its goal of 12,605. It was the first time since 1993 that the Guard exceeded its goal in that period....

***

Mark Allen, a National Guard Bureau spokesman, attributed the recruiting improvement to a new advertising campaign, a large increase in financial incentives and a near doubling of the number of recruiters, to 5,100 from 2,700.

The Guard, like other branches of the military, had been struggling for recruits earlier in the year. In the 2005 budget year that ended Sept. 30, the Army National Guard fell 20 percent short of its recruiting goal. The active-duty Army fell 8 percent short, and the Army Reserve missed its goal by 16 percent.

The administration's plan to pay for a smaller Guard has stirred opposition in Congress and among groups like the National Guard Association of the United States, which represents current and former Army Guard and Air Guard officers....


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/31/politics/31guard.html

[democracyindanger]

1. Define "tall" as 5' and I'm a giant. nt

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. I'll bet the goal was 1/2 of the previous year

They must have an open ended budget, "a large increase in financial incentives and a near doubling of the number of recruiters, to 5,100 from 2,700" There is no end to the money when it comes to this kind of bullshit.

[xultar]

3. BULLSHIT...Printing bullshit for the administration b4 the SOTU is

bad form NYT...

Well maybe it is right since there aren't enough jobs. :shrug: BushCo made sure that jobs weren't available.

[DRoseDARs]

4. You could say they're "turning a corner..." nt

:eyes:

[Historic NY]

5. I don't believe one word of this report because.........

first off recruitment is done state by state. The story never mentions this or as to which branch. This is just a propaganda release of vague facts or assertions.