Lowest number of recruits in history of all-volunteer Army.

“The Army began its recruiting year Oct. 1 with fewer signed up for basic training than in any year since it became an all-volunteer service in 1973,” said commander of Army Training and Doctrine Command Gen. William S. Wallace. Achieving new recruiting goals is more difficult now “because the Army has decided that it must grow its active-duty force by several thousand soldiers a year in order to relieve strain on war-weary troops.”