WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army missed its recruiting goal in May for the first time this year but said on Monday the shortfall was not the start of a downward trend. The active-duty Army, severely strained by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, recruited 5,101 new soldiers last month, short of its 5,500 goal for May. All other branches of the active-duty U.S. armed forces met or exceeded monthly goals. The Marine Corps, which too has been stressed by overseas operations, exceeded its goal by 34 percent. The last time the Army missed a monthly goal was in September 2006. That miss, however, was intentional, according to Army officials who say recruiters purposely delayed new recruits to beef up figures for October, the start of a new fiscal year. The Army has boasted strong recruiting numbers despite two ongoing wars and rising casualty rates, although some defense analysts say the military is meeting goals by lowering standards for recruits. Army spokesman Paul Boyce said the Army would meet its annual recruiting goal despite May's shortfall. The Army is 2,000 recruits above plan for this point in the year, he said. "This year, recruiting momentum continues," Boyce said. "We are confident that we will achieve our fiscal year 2007 mission of 80,000 active-duty accessions."
