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NewsSeptember 29, 1999

The strong American economy may be draining the military of its work force. With the end of the fiscal year on Thursday, the Army and Air Force are falling short in recruitment numbers despite extra incentives. The Army, which needed 74,500 new recruits by the end of the fiscal year, may be 6,000 short. The Air Force, which hoped to recruit 33,000 during the year, may be down by as many as 1,700 enlistees...

The strong American economy may be draining the military of its work force.

With the end of the fiscal year on Thursday, the Army and Air Force are falling short in recruitment numbers despite extra incentives.

The Army, which needed 74,500 new recruits by the end of the fiscal year, may be 6,000 short. The Air Force, which hoped to recruit 33,000 during the year, may be down by as many as 1,700 enlistees.

Meanwhile, the Marines and Navy are expected to reach their respective goals of 53,234 and 35,000 recruits, respectively.

It is too late to cash in on an extra $6,000 Army signing bonus, but bonuses and educational scholarships are always available for enlistees.

The $6,000, which was offered in August, was in addition to $12,000 in other incentives and $50,000 in educational scholarships that are still available depending on the field a recruit chooses and the length of commitment.

To get the $6,000, an enlistee would have to report for basic training by day's end Thursday, said Staff Sgt. Mark Rightnowar of the Army recruiting office in Cape Girardeau.

Army recruitment spokesman Doug Smith in Fort Knox, Ky., said, "Even if a person came in with a birth certificate, high school diploma and a toothbrush, we couldn't get them to basic training in time."

The extra bonus did not include National Guard or reserve enlistments.

The Army and Air Force are expected to fall short of their recruiting goal by a combined total of 7,000 to 10,000 men and women this year. The good economy is being blamed for draining the military of talented personnel, said military officials.

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Several Air Force pilots are bailing out for easier, high-paying jobs as commercial pilots.

The military also faces a booming civilian job market, record college enrollment and a declining population in their 20s.

The Army isn't a bad deal, said Rightnowar.

"A private, E-1 starts with a salary of $887 a month with an automatic raise to $959 after four months," he said. "A recruit can go with a two-year enlistment."

Bonuses range from $1,000 to $12,000 and scholarships up to $50,000 depending on the job listing and term of enlistment, said Rightnowar.

"Right now we have 80 job listings," he said. "There are a lot of technical fields to get into."

Bonuses are usually paid within a year, half of it up front, said Rightnowar.

"You receive half of the bonus when you report for your first duty assignment," he said. "The other half is paid every three months over a year, so that you receive the entire bonus the first year."

The Navy and Marines have had more success recruiting this year. The Navy added more than 100 new recruiting offices, and the Marines resorted to television advertising. The Navy was 100 short of its goal earlier this week, and the Marines reached its goal.

The Air Force has also resorted to TV ads and offering up to $12,000 bonuses for some jobs. But it is still 1,700 people short of its 33,800 annual goal.

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