One casualty of the tight job market: U.S. Army recruitment

The U.S. Army's slogan — "Warriors Wanted" — is taking on an added layer of meaning amid a historically tight job market. Young Americans have more employment options than in previous generations, prompting the army to lower its recruitment goal this year and overhaul its outreach efforts.


"The only way to remain competitive in that 3.6% unemployment [arena] is to be just as fast as Google, just as fast as Amazon," Major General Frank Muth told CBS MoneyWatch. "You have to have the agility to change rapidly, to adjust to the environment."

While Army leaders say they will meet a current goal of recruiting 68,000 new active duty soldiers by the end of September, that's still a shave from the previous year, when the Army aimed to recruit 76,500 new soldiers but fell short by 6,500 people.