The Air Force and its reserve components continue to post strong recruiting numbers for the fiscal year to date, according to the Pentagon’s newly issued recruiting numbers. USAF’s active duty force brought in 26,533 accessions through August, the first 10 months of Fiscal 2011, exactly meeting its goal, these figures show. Meanwhile, the Air National Guard attracted 6,430 new recruits through August, 239 more accessions than targeted, or 104 percent of its goal. The Air Force Reserve surpassed its goal of 8,444 accessions through August by 12 recruits. Among the other services and their reserve components, only the Army National Guard came in slightly short of its year-to-date goal through August. (See also our previous entry on the recruiting figures through July.)
A three-month continuing resolution that ended in December inflicted less pain on the Department of the Air Force than it had expected, as procurement and construction continue in the new year. The federal government operated under a stopgap spending measure that stretched from the beginning of the fiscal year on…