The Army wants anyone affiliated with the service - from currently serving soldiers to older veterans - to take part in a three-day event that aims to put 10,000 recruits into combat boots.
The Army National Hiring Days kick off June 30. It’s an outreach effort to tap into pools of potential recruits using virtual engagements, Army recruiting officials said.
“It’s a great opportunity and we’re really excited. The Army has never done this before,” said Maj. Gen. Frank Muth, commander of U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
The Army was ahead by more than 2,200 recruits in mid-March when the coronavirus pandemic eventually forced the service to temporarily shutter its brick-and-mortar recruiting stations and go entirely virtual.
“We have to put force protection above mission,” Maj. Gen. Muth said.
Now, the Army is about 4,000 recruits behind its goal for this time of year. The drop means the command has to look for other ways to generate interest in the Army.
And that’s why they’re asking Army veterans to help shoulder some of the load. The mission is to help convince potential recruits to visit the GoArmy.com website or head to their nearest open recruiting station.
“We’re just asking everybody (to) help push,” Maj. Gen. Muth said.
The entire Army family, Maj. Gen. Muth said, can help by sharing social media posts highlighting next week’s recruiting drive or creating their own online messages.
Army officials predict they will sign between 63,000 to 66,000 new recruits by the end of the fiscal year.
Retention has not been a problem, however. Maj. Gen. Muth said more soldiers are opting to remain in the service amid an uncertain civilian job market.
“We’re not going to change the quality that’s coming in,” he said. “I think there is plenty of (eligible recruits) out there to put in boots to fill our ranks.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.