European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 3, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday May 3, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 3 retention recruiting trends Uncertain Pentagon says by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington the Pentagon faces a blurred recruiting picture that will not Clear up soon officials say. In the months leading up to and encompassing the persian Gulf War the services continued to make 100 percent of their recruiting goals Pentagon manpower chief Christopher Jehn told the House armed services committee on wednesday. Y. But to do that they Nave had to dip heavily into their delayed entry pools and bring onto Active duty recruits who signed enlistment contracts months before the War began. The number of new contracts signed since last fall on the other hand is off. Contracts for new army recruits for example Are lagging 18,000 behind the same time last year said retired Gen. Maxwell Thurman a former army vice chief of staff. A and the contract is the barometer of recruiting Success for the future Thurman said. A a it a a much better indicator than accessions new recruits who come onto Active duty. The last few months of 1990 were a particularly Rocky time for recruiters As Many potential enlistees took a a wait and see stance in the tense period preceding the War. In november the Penta gon achieved Only 81 percent of its Active duty recruit contract goal. But As it became Clear that the War would be Brief and successful recruiting Nas been on the upswing. That has Given officials reason for a cautious optimism about near term recruiting trends Jehn said. A a a a a a the situation is less encouraging for the Reserve components. From october to March the defense department was Able to recruit Only 76 percent of its Reserve goal compared with 107 percent for the same period a year before. The conflicting factors muddying the personnel picture Are Likely to persist for some time. A a it a too Early to Tell what the separate effects of any one of these factors might be a Jehn said. A taken together they make the picture even  a fiscal 1991 will be a year of confounding data on retention and recruiting a Thurman said. Personnel planners who now must resume the Job of trimming Force Levels by 25 percent Over the next four years Are faced with questions that May not be resolved for months a and Many of them Are pushing against one another. The questions include a Stop loss policies. Officials fear that Dingru Nelement among personnel who were kept on Active duty beyond their separation and retirement dates May Hurt Reserve recruitment particularly for the army which draws six out of every 10 Reserve members from its Active duty ranks. A. A a a desert storm demobilization. Lawmakers arc receiving stinging Calls and letters from military constituents both Reserve and Active duty about their continued presence in the persian Gulf. Rep. Martin Lancaster , said a Reserve maintenance battalion from his District is pulling sentry duty and doing postal work. A most of them Are Farmers and they Are fit to be tied a he said. A neighbors Are having to Plant their  that kind of situation will further Hurt Reserve recruiting and retention because some who arc in the reserves now will leave while others will be discouraged from joining Lancaster said. A War euphoria. Jehn and other officials at the hearing attribute some of their current recruiting Success to the surge of patriotism sparked by operation desert storm but Are not sure How Long that will last. A recruiting Quality. The number of available top Quality recruits from which the military can choose continues to decline creating a situation that experts say will not improve before 1994 or 1995. A a a the recession. A growing number of analysts say the Economy has bottomed recruiting slump operations desert shield and desert storm have _ _ battered recruiters for the reserves. From october to March the defense department was Able to recruit Only 76 percent of its Reserve goal compared with 107 percent for the same period a year before. A amps Susan Harris out and will stage a comeback Over the next few years. If that a True the military a search for intelligent recruits will be even More difficult As the services compete with a More attractive civilian labor Market. A a a the time of year. Maj. Gen. Jack c. Wheeler the army a recruiting chief said this is one of the worst seasons to try to gauge recruiting. A there arc a Large number of High school seniors looking Forward to their prom which is of far greater importance to them right now than signing a recruiting contract a Wheeler said. Aid for wounded kurd two . Marines carry Ahmed Nimet Mirza 58, to a the wounded kurdish refugee to a Camp in Zakhoo . Helicopter in Northern Iraq. The helicopter flew where his injured legs were examined and  deployment of . Force expected monday Doha Kuwait a a the head of the . Peacekeepers said thursday that his soldiers will be fully deployed on the kuwaiti iraqi Border by monday and All . Troops should be out of Southern Iraq two Days later. A a a a maj. Gen. Gunther Greindl the austrian who leads the . Mission made the announcement after inspecting 300 troops from five nations and sending most of them off to the Border zone about 50 Miles North of a military base in Doha. About 5,000 . Soldiers from the 3rd army div arc the last remaining american forces in Southern Iraq. They have been feeding and protecting thousands of iraqi refugees in the Border town of Safwan since shortly after the persian Gulf War ended in february. The army has not announced a Date for leaving the area but saudi Arabia has agreed to care for the refugees the primary reason the . Forces have remained in the Region. Since sunday the american military has been flying hundreds of iraqi refugees daily from Safwan to the saudi Camp in Rafha 250 Miles to the West and just inside saudi arabians Border with Iraq. Greindl speaking on a Day darkened to night by the smoke of ii Well fires said he expected the 1,440-member . Contingent to be fully deployed on monday. That includes 300 unarmed military observers and More than 600 infantry soldiers. Quot after that the coalition forces and the iraqi forces in the demilitarized zone Are requested to withdraw which i expect to be another two Days a the general said. Greindl and his staff have been in daily Contact with the americans and the general said he planned to make a formal request thursday for the . Forces to withdraw. The . Mission established its first observation Post in the demilitarized zone april 24 and More than 60 military observers were in place As of wednesday according to Majed Fayad the spokesman for the peacekeepers. A the demilitarized zone extends six Miles into Iraq three Miles into Kuwait and runs the entire 120 Miles of their common Border