Military recruiters are doing a bang up job—or perhaps it is fears over the economy—so far in what defense officials initially thought would be a tough year. Each service and reserve component, except for the Army Reserve at 99 percent, met or exceeded its goal for the month of June, according to the latest statistics released by the Pentagon. For the Air National Guard, June turned into the fifth straight month it exceeded its goal; its recruiters delivered 143 more recruits over the goal of 767 for the month. Both the active Air Force and Air Force Reserve achieved 100 percent of their goals.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.