^ has absolutely NOTHING to do with what i was talking about, and it would be great if you could cite what you just cut-and-pased.
anyway, i find your numbers highly dubious ... could they possibly have come from here?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060511.html
if you can't trust the White House for reliable numbers, who can you trust?
as reality (and not military propaganda) goes ...
in 2004:
[q]Army Guard misses recruiting goal
By Dave Moniz, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The Army National Guard has fallen significantly behind its recruiting goal one month into the military's new fiscal year, continuing a downward slide that began in 2003 and could make it harder for the Pentagon to find enough troops for the war in Iraq.
In October, the Army Guard recruited 2,546 enlistees, more than 30% below its target of 3,675.
The numbers do not bode well for the Army Guard, which missed its 2004 recruiting target of 56,000 enlistees by nearly 7,000. This year, the 350,000-member Guard has an even larger goal of 65,000, in part to make up for last year.
The chief reason for the shortfall is a downturn in recruits with military experience, men and women who leave the active-duty Army but sign up for Guard duty that usually involves a weekend a month and two weeks during the summer.
In past years, these "prior service" soldiers accounted for about half of all Guard recruits. Now, however, many soldiers leaving active duty are reluctant to join because of the enormous new demands on America's part-time military, including active duty missions that can last up to 18 months.
The Army National Guard and Army Reserve are auxiliary forces that back up the active-duty military. Most troops serve part-time, but in the last three years the Pentagon has called up thousands for active-duty tours. Guard and Reserve soldiers now make up more than 40% of the 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-11-23-recruit_x.htm
[/q]
in 2005:
[q]National Guard Misses Recruiting Goal
Associated Press
July 12, 2005
WASHINGTON - The Army National Guard, a cornerstone of the U.S. force in Iraq, missed its recruiting goal for at least the ninth straight month in June and is nearly 19,000 soldiers below its authorized strength, military officials said Monday.
The Army Guard was seeking 5,032 new soldiers in June but signed up only 4,337, a 14 percent shortfall, according to statistics released Monday by the Pentagon. It is more than 10,000 soldiers behind its year-to-date goal of almost 45,000 recruits, and has missed its recruiting target during at least 17 of the last 18 months.
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,FL_goal_071205,00.html
[/q]
thus far, in 2006:
[q]Army hits recruiting goal; Reserve, Guard miss By Will Dunham
Wed May 10, 5:15 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army, which fell short in recruiting in fiscal 2005, met its April goal, but the Army Reserve and Army National Guard missed their targets amid persistent concern among potential recruits over the Iraq war.
The Pentagon released monthly military recruiting data on Wednesday showing that the active-duty Army achieved its 11th straight monthly goal.
But the part-time Army Reserve and National Guard, which both also missed their fiscal 2005 recruiting goals, showed fresh signs of weakness in April even as the Pentagon reduces its reliance on these soldiers in Iraq.
Seven months into fiscal 2006, the Army is slightly ahead of the number of recruits it had landed at the same time a year ago. But because of the way the Army structured its 2006 monthly goals, a big chunk of the recruiting work remains to be done in the summer months.
In a bid to make this year's goal, the Army announced a new $1,000 enlistment bonus for graduating high school seniors who get good marks on a standardized test and agree to enter boot camp by September 30, the last day of the fiscal year. It is the latest in a series of incentives intended to lure recruits.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060510/us_nm/iraq_usa_recruiting_dc
[/q]
