Army misses recruiting goal for 2nd straight month

WASHINGTON — The Army failed to meet its recruiting goal in June, raising concern that the unpopular Iraq war and strong economy could wreak even more havoc on enlistments.

Army officials acknowledged Monday that the service missed its recruiting target for the second month in a row, but would not provide exact numbers. But two defense officials said the Army fell short of its 8,400 goal by about 15 percent — which is more than twice the June shortfall and would mean that roughly 7,000 recruits signed up.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the recruiting numbers are not scheduled for release until Tuesday.

Last month the Army said it recruited 5,101 new soldiers in May, about 7 percent short of its 5,500 goal for that month.

Army spokesman Col. Dan Baggio said the Army is still on track to meet its annual goal of 80,000 recruits for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, since it exceeded targets earlier in the year.

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