MARKETPLACE SHOW: Marketplace (6:30 PM ET) - SYND August 5, 2004
New budget includes signing bonuses for Army recruits
DAVID BROWN, anchor:
Another $417 billion for defense. That's what President Bush approved today at a signing ceremony in Washington. This budget provides an additional 25 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan including body armour for troops, reinforced Humvees. Here's another expense MARKETPLACE's Hillary Wicai tells us. The Pentagon is dramatically increasing the amount of cash the military can give out as signing bonuses.
HILLARY WICAI reporting:
The business of recruiting soldiers in the US Army is a serious one. Highly produced commercials appeal to young Americans' senses of patriotism, adventure and duty. The ads highlight just how many different jobs need to be done.
Unidentified Man: (From advertisement) There are over 200 ways to become an Army of One. Logon to goarmy.com.
WICAI: Two hundred ways and now 10,000 reasons. The Army announced this week it would pay up to a $10,000 signing bonus for a three-year enlistment for most of the Army's entry level jobs; 15 grand for high-priority jobs. Julia Bobick is with the Army's recruiting command.
Ms. JULIA BOBICK (United States Army): I think money certainly does bring people in, and that's why it's an incentive for those high-priority jobs and critical job skills that we need to fill.
WICAI: It's an incentive the Army hasn't had to rely on as much in the recent past. In fact, the Army is expected to meet this fiscal year's goal of 77,000 recruits. But that's changing.
Mr. JOHN PIKE (GlobalSecurity.org): They're going to get more people the old-fashioned way: They're going to buy them.
WICAI: Defense policy analyst John Pike is the director of globalsecurity.org. He says the Army now battles a couple variables as it tries to recruit 80,000 soldiers next year.
Mr. PIKE: Obviously, the war in Iraq looks like it's going to drag on for a while. People, I think, are a little less eager to join the Army, re-enlist in the Army, given the prospect of spending a year in the sand over in Iraq. I think that we've had something of an economic draft with a bad job market, but now that seems to be turning around.
WICAI: With good jobs at home and a war on, recruiting won't be easy even with a 10-grand carrot. In Washington, I'm Hillary Wicai.
© Copyright 2004, Minnesota Public Radio
