Army misses recruiting goals again

Change to Individual Ready Reserve
In a related matter, the Army said more people in the Individual Ready Reserve — those no longer in uniform and not obligated to train — are going to be hearing from the Army in the weeks ahead. The Army has revised upward the number of IRR soldiers it plans to put on active duty, from the 4,402 announced last summer to 4,653. Of those given mobilization orders so far, 370 have failed to report for duty, according to Lt. Col. Pamela Hart, an Army spokeswoman. An additional 2,229 have asked for delays in their reporting dates or for exemptions.

Harvey also disclosed that the Army is “looking at” changing its policy on having more than one sibling in a combat zone at the same time. He did not say how the policy might be altered, and he declined to say more about the subject, other than to indicate that it came up when he visited the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where wounded U.S. troops are treated.

The current policy is that if one of two siblings in a combat zone is killed, the Army will consider removing the remaining one from the combat zone if the surviving soldier or his parents request it, according to spokeswoman Hart. She said she was not aware of any planned change.

Enlistment age raised
On Tuesday, the Army said it will also raise the maximum enlistment age for National Guard and Reserve recruits from 34 to 39.

The move, described as a three-year test program, is designed to help the National Guard and Reserve meet their recruitment goals at a time when the Iraq war and other pressures are discouraging young people from joining.

The Guard missed its recruiting goal for 2004, and both the Guard and Reserve are lagging behind their goals so far this year.

The age ceiling for the regular Army is set by law at 34, but Pentagon spokeswoman Ellen Krenke said it was possible that after the three-year test ends the Pentagon might request an enlistment age for Army reservists even older than 39.

Physical standards will not change for either the regular Army or Guard and Reserve.

'Maturity' valued
For the Guard and Reserve, the age limit is set by policy and can be changed without approval from Congress, said Maj. Elizabeth Robbins, an Army spokeswoman. A person one day short of his or her 40th birthday is now eligible to join the Guard or Reserve; under the old system the maximum age was 34 years and 364 days.

“Anecdotally, our recruiters have been telling us for years that we’ve had people who are otherwise qualified but over the age limit who have attempted to enlist,” Robbins said. “There are physically fit, health-conscious individuals who can make a positive contribution to our national defense.”

Census figures show that the change will add about 22 million people to the Army Guard and Reserve recruiting pool. The Army said in a statement that it has not forecast how much this will add to recruit totals.

“Experience has shown that older recruits who can meet the physical demands of military service generally make excellent soldiers based on their maturity, motivation, loyalty and patriotism,” the Army said.

The Pentagon has relied heavily on part-time Army Reserve and Army National Guard soldiers summoned from civilian life to maintain troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan. Roughly 45 percent of U.S. troops currently deployed for those wars are reservists.

The Army National Guard missed its recruiting goal for the 2004 fiscal year and trails its year-to-date 2005 targets. The Army Reserve missed January and February goals and is lagging its target for 2005. The regular Army missed its target for February and trails its annual goal.

The Army Reserve is made up of federal soldiers who can be mobilized from civilian life for active duty. National Guard soldiers also serve under the control of state governors for roles like disaster relief in their home states.

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