Army recruiting costs for 2006 rose to $18,295 per new recruit

Above: U.S. Army recruits engage an obstacle course as part of their nine-week basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

The Army is spending more taxpayer cash each year to meet recruiting goals...

Command spokesman Doug Smith later clarified that Bostick was referring to fiscal 2006 accession numbers. The actual fiscal 2006 cost was $18,295 per recruit, he said...

The expenditures are necessary in part because of flagging attitudes among important group of what the Army calls primary influencers — parents.

In March 2004, Bostick said, 43 percent of mothers and 53 percent of fathers polled said they would encourage their child to join the Army.

Today, Bostick said, just “25 percent of moms and 33 percent of fathers” would encourage their kids to join.

Read the rest at Stars and Stripes

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