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<DIV class=nhtext style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 13px"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
class=913053901-15102005>Even as a veteran I find the idea of turning kids into
"bounty hunters" (see 'Finders Fee' below) very
objectionable.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=nhtext style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 13px"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
class=913053901-15102005>Peace,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=nhtext style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 13px"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
class=913053901-15102005>Chris</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=nhtext style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 13px"><FONT><SPAN
class=913053901-15102005><FONT
face=Arial>=================================================================================</FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=nhtext style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 13px"><STRONG><FONT face=Arial
size=4>Army Has Plan to Boost Signups</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV class=nstext style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 13px"><FONT face=Arial>Associated
Press | October 11, 2005</FONT></DIV><!--- End Article Title/Source/Date ---><!--- Start Article Content --->
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><IMG style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 2px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 10px"
src="http://images.military.com/pics/FL_recruit_101105.jpg" width=200
align=left>WASHINGTON - The </FONT><A
href="http://www.military.com/Community/Home/0,14700,ARMY,00.html"><FONT
face=Arial>Army </FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>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.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>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 </FONT><A
href="http://www.military.com/Content/MoreContent1/?file=GH_Iraq"><FONT
face=Arial>Iraq</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial> and </FONT><A
href="http://www.military.com/Afghanistan"><FONT
face=Arial>Afghanistan</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>, was expected to be the only
service to have fallen short, although the </FONT><A
href="http://www.military.com/Community/Home/0,14700,MARINE,00.html"><FONT
face=Arial>Marine Corps</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial> struggled for part of the
year. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>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.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>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.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>"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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>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.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>"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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>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.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Among the main features of the Army's master plan for
reaching its 2006 recruiting goal: </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>- 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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>- 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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>- 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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>- Shift more advertising dollars from national to local
markets. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>- 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. </FONT></DIV><!--- End Article Content ---><!--- Begin Additional Article Features --->
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<DIV class=nasmall><FONT face=Arial>Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.</FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>