[GP-Eldorado-n] Army Has Plan to Boost Signups

[Chris Spear]

Even as a veteran I find the idea of turning kids into "bounty hunters" (see
'Finders Fee' below) very objectionable.
Peace,
Chris
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Army Has Plan to Boost Signups
Associated Press  |  October 11, 2005
WASHINGTON - The Army has a master plan for recovering from this year's
painful recruiting problems that includes new financial incentives for
enlistees, greater use of computers, a new way for recruiters to make their
pitch and a proposed finder's fee for soldiers who refer recruits.

The plan was assembled after the Army fell more than 6,600 recruits below of
its goal of 80,000 for the year that ended Sept. 30. It was the first time
it had fallen short since 1999.
The military services were releasing their complete year-end recruiting
figures Tuesday. The Army, which has borne the largest share of the combat
burden in Iraq and Afghanistan, was expected to be the only service to have
fallen short, although the Marine Corps struggled for part of the year.
Opinion surveys indicate that daily reports of soldiers dying in Iraq have
dampened young people's interest in joining the military, prompting the Army
to try new ways to make the war work in its favor.
For example, since July the Army has been offering prospective recruits what
it calls "assignment incentive pay." That is $400 a month in extra pay for
as many as 36 months if an enlistee agrees to join any of the brigades of
the 1st Cavalry Division or 25th Infantry Division scheduled to deploy to
Iraq or Afghanistan.
The Army also is encouraging combat veterans who return home on leave from
Iraq or Afghanistan to meet with young people in their home towns to talk
about their experiences in hopes of snagging extra recruits. The Army has
found that re-enlist rates are especially high among units that have served
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Raymond DuBois, acting undersecretary of the Army, spearheaded the effort to
identify new approaches. Some imitate recruiting practices used in the
business world, and not all emphasize financial incentives.
Parts of this new strategy were put into practice several months ago; others
await congressional approval. DuBois says the shifts began paying dividends
this summer, when the Army exceeded its recruiting goals monthly from June
through September, after missing for four straight months.
"By virtue of what we have put in place over the last six to eight months,
I'm confident the Army will achieve its goal of 80,000 recruits" for the
budget year that began Oct. 1, DuBois said in an interview Monday.
Some private analysts were skeptical. Michael O'Hanlon, defense specialist
at the Brookings Institution, said Monday that if conditions get worse the
future of the all-volunteer force could be in jeopardy.
"Unless the situation in Iraq improves, or unless we drastically enlarge the
pool of possible recruits in some way - for example, lowering academic
standards for them, or even considering an extreme option like allowing
foreigners to gain U.S. citizenship by serving - one would have to expect
continued tough slogging for the Army," O'Hanlon said.
When the Army saw its recruiting efforts fall drastically below
expectations - starting last February and bottoming out in April with only
58 percent of that month's goal achieved - it embarked on some new
approaches.
The most important may have been the assignment of hundreds of extra
recruiters. The Army also has asked Congress for permission to raise the
maximum enlistment bonus from $20,000 to $40,000.
Among the main features of the Army's master plan for reaching its 2006
recruiting goal:
- Adjust the way recruiters frame their sales pitches to young men and
women. Instead of focusing mainly on financial incentives and other tangible
benefits of joining the Army, recruiters are now being trained to take what
some call the "consultative" approach. That means addressing the individual
recruits' personal hopes and fears, rather than using the traditional hard
sell.
- Put more effort into recruiting people who have begun their college
careers but not yet earned a degree, on the assumption that some would be
interested in taking a hiatus to try military service. Also, target those of
high school age who are being home schooled - a potential market the Army
has largely ignored.
- Make more use of what DuBois calls "lead refinements" - the use of
computer technology to refine recruiters' leads on potential enlistees.
Using mathematical formulas based in part on demographics, a recruiter can
more easily prioritize his or her high-payoff leads and thus become more
productive. Ten of the Army's 41 recruiting battalions now use this
technology; the Army wants to double it to 20 or more.
- Shift more advertising dollars from national to local markets.
- Offer a $2,500 "finder's fee" to soldiers who refer a recruit who makes it
through advanced individual training, a step beyond basic training. This has
yet to be authorized by Congress.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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