US army cuts tour of duty as recruitment declines
Posted: Sat May 14, 2005 5:09 pm
The US Army has begun offering 15-month active duty tours rather than the usual four-year enlistment as it struggles to halt a growing crisis in recruitment caused by the rising number of casualties in Iraq.
Major General Michael Rochelle, the head of army recruitment, said this was the "toughest recruiting climate ever faced by the all-volunteer army" with the war raising concern among potential recruits and their families.
At least 1,613 members of the US military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003.
Jim Martin, a retired army officer who now teaches military culture, told USA Today that parents and teachers "see the army as a real risk, a real danger" as a result.
News agencies
Major General Michael Rochelle, the head of army recruitment, said this was the "toughest recruiting climate ever faced by the all-volunteer army" with the war raising concern among potential recruits and their families.
At least 1,613 members of the US military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003.
Jim Martin, a retired army officer who now teaches military culture, told USA Today that parents and teachers "see the army as a real risk, a real danger" as a result.
News agencies