Recruiting Drive Seen Helping Services Meet Enlistment Goals

It looks like the big recruiting push at the Pentagon is beginning to pay off, with thousands more men and women reported signing up for military service this year.

For the first time since 1997, all four services are expected to meet their enlistment goals this year, officials said Monday, crediting an unprecedented ad campaign, more creative use of the Internet, more recruiters and a host of incentives.

Incentives offered in the last couple years include better pay, more enlistment bonuses, shorter service time and computers in barracks for those who want to get an online education while they serve.

“We’re happy but . . . not celebrating,” said Air Force recruiting spokesman Master Sgt. Tom Clements, predicting the Pentagon will continue to face a recruiting struggle.

Officials have said the slump in recruiting in recent years is owed partly to higher-paying civilian jobs in a strong economy, more people going to college and fewer young people who know anyone in uniform or think of the military as a possible career.

“What we cannot do is . . . relax,” said Army recruiting director Col. Kevin T. Kelley. “We have to keep on going because it’s still a very competitive marketplace.”