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For Guard recruiters, a tough sell
... O'Ferrell and 4,100 other Army Guard recruiters across the country are facing their most daunting challenge since the Vietnam War, one that may define the limits of the Bush administration's use of Guard and reserve troops in the war on terrorism.

Last year, Army Guard recruiters fell nearly 7,000 short of their goal of 56,000 soldiers. This year, the Guard's recruiting goal is an even more ambitious 63,000 soldiers, in part to make up for the 2004 shortfall. But through January, four months into the recruiting year that began in October, the Guard had recruited just 12,821 new soldiers, almost 24% below its target for that period.

Other military branches are struggling to find recruits, too, but not as much as the Army Guard. The Marine Corps met its target for sending recruits to boot camp in January and February, but for the first time in almost a decade, it missed its overall recruiting goal, which includes recruits who agree to go to boot camp later. In February, the active-duty Army fell short of its goal for sending recruits to boot camp for the first time in almost five years, missing by more than 1,900 soldiers. It is 6% below its target for the year to date.

By contrast, the Navy and Air Force are having no trouble recruiting. Those branches play only a small role in combat in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites).

Unless the Army Guard can reverse its shortfall, it is headed for one of the worst recruiting years for any branch for at least the last 15 years, something the nation's all-volunteer military can ill afford in wartime.

Guard and reserve troops make up about one-third of the 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. The Guard's recruiting problems could make it tougher for the Pentagon (news - web sites) to find enough troops to fight ongoing wars....