To keep recruiting up, US military spends more

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0412/p02s01-usmi.html

To keep recruiting up, US military spends more
More than $16,000 was spent per recruit in 2005 on bonuses and other expenses. The Army in particular is paying more.
By Gordon Lubold | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

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WASHINGTON - The task of signing up people for military service has become much more difficult since the Iraq war and, as a result, much more expensive.

In fact, in per-enlistee terms, recruiting costs have more than doubled over the past 20 years – from about $7,000 per recruit in 1985 to more than $16,000 per recruit in 2005, according to a report for the Defense Department titled "Recruiting an All-Volunteer Force."

In recent years, plentiful jobs in the civilian world and the increasing allure of a college education were already making it easier for potential recruits to say "no thank you." Now the war in Iraq, with its inherent dangers and multiple tours of duty for troops, is giving more parents pause when it comes to supporting a son's or daughter's decision to enlist.

These reasons, along with the fact that the war is lasting longer than anyone would have expected, is increasing the cost of recruiting, says Curtis Gilroy, who oversees recruiting for the Defense Department. It's the first time the all-volunteer force, which began when conscription ended in 1973, has had to withstand this kind of test. "This is the fourth year of a protracted war in Iraq," Mr. Gilroy says. "We have not done this before."

Of the four services, the Army in particular is spending more to get recruits to sign on the dotted line. Its advertising spending, for example, jumped from $140 million in 2001 to $216 million in 2005, according to an October study by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

So far, the extra taxpayer dollars for recruiting are allowing the Army and other services to stay on target for meeting their goals this year. The Army, after struggling in 2005 and missing its recruiting goal by 8 percent, is currently making its recruiting mission: According to monthly recruiting tallies released by the Pentagon Tuesday, it achieved 101 percent of its March mission. The other services, including the Marine Corps, which is bearing much of the burden in Iraq, is also making or exceeding its mission.

Still, with some exceptions, the Army has to spend more to persuade individuals to serve – on advertising, bonuses, college funds, and other incentive programs.

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