The U.S. Army is looking for recruits. Lots of recruits.  Army recruiters across southern Michigan and the rest of the nation are working hard to help bring in 10,000 new recruits by the end of the day tomorrow. The recruiting blitz is designed to help bolster the Army’s ranks to meet its hoped-for strength of about 485,000 soldiers.  It is so important to the Army that every senior leader in the Army is involved, not just recruiters.  While getting recruits in for interviews is important, signed contracts for service with the Army is what counts.

Photo courtesy: U.S. Army
Photo courtesy: U.S. Army
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Army Recruiting Commander Maj. Gen. Frank Muth says the recruiting blitz is set against a backdrop of some recruiting issues ever since the COVID-19 virus outbreak began. Recruiters were forced to work online only until May. And in that March to May time frame, recruiting fell off by as much as 50 percent.

Photo courtesy: U.S. Army
Photo courtesy: U.S. Army
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In order to bring in the big numbers, the Army needs to attract qualified candidates. Many young people are unable to meet the Army’s entrance criteria for education, fitness, and several other qualifiers. But the Army has lots of career paths. It offers about 150.  And that helps attract qualified potential soldiers. The Army is also offering sign-up bonuses as high as $2,000 based on career choice and things like the ASVAB or Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test scores. For the year, the Army hopes to bring in as many as 67,000 new recruits. The retention or re-enlistment level is very high for the Army. In that area, the Army is ahead of the goal for this year.

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