PDA

View Full Version : Marines lead military services on February recruitment



thedrifter
03-17-07, 09:53 AM
Marines lead military services on February recruitment

By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer

When it comes to meeting recruitment goals, a report released this week by the Department of Defense shows the Marines Corps again leading the military pack in February.

The accomplishment comes in the face of increasingly negative public attitude toward the war in Iraq and recruitment difficulties faced by all branches of service.

In active-duty recruiting, the Marines were in first place among all branches of service, achieving 106 percent of its goal by sending to boot camp 1,792 new recruits in February. The Army attained 103 percent of its goal, sending 1,792 new recruits to boot camp. The Air Force achieved 100 percent of its goal of signing up 2,277 new recruits. The Navy also hit 100 percent, with 2,803 recruits.

The real recruiting challenges appeared to be in the reserve arms of the service and with the National Guard. Only the Marine Reserves and the Air Force Reserves achieved or exceeded their goals, with the Marines hitting 112 percent of a 421-recruit target and the Air Force hitting 92 percent of a 533 recruit goal.

With the war in Iraq now entering its fifth year, recruitment targets appear to be growing increasingly difficult for branches of the service.

The Associated Press reported in February that more recruits with criminal records, including felony convictions, were being allowed to join the Army and Marine Corps. The military frequently grants waivers, including moral waivers for drug offenders, to recruits who have criminal records, medical problems or low aptitude scores that would otherwise disqualify them from service.

Defense Department statistics show that the number of Army and Marine recruits needing waivers for felonies and serious misdemeanors has grown since 2003.

According to the Pentagon, nearly a quarter of new military recruits needed some type of waiver in 2006, up from 20 percent in 2003. Roughly 30,000 waivers were approved each year from 2004 through 2006.

The military in its report divided moral waivers into six categories: felonies, serious and minor nontraffic offenses, serious and minor traffic offenses and drug offenses.

About one in five Army recruits needed a waiver to enlist in 2006, up from 12.7 percent in 2003.

More than half of the Marine recruits needed a waiver of some type in 2006, a bit higher than in 2003. Felony waivers made up about 2 percent of Marine waivers, while other lesser crimes made up about 25 percent.

This week's report also showed the Army, the Marines and the Air Force were meeting or exceeding their goals when it came to retention, while the Navy expected to meet its goals for the fiscal year by the end of September.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact staff writer William Finn Bennett at (760) 740-5426, or wbennett@nctimes.com.

Ellie