The army's active duty force was 16 percent below its goal for the year through April, and its reserve component was 21 percent short of the mark, the army said.

Nevertheless, army spokesmen said they were still optimistic they could make up the shortfall in the remaining five months of the fiscal year, particularly during the summer months when a new crop of high school graduates comes on the job market.

"These are peak periods when young people are making major decisions about their lives," said Paul Boyce, an army spokesman.

The army has recruited 35,926 soldiers into the active duty army in the first seven months of the year, and still has more than 64,000 to go to meet its goal of 80,000 by the end of September.

Despite the official optimism, the war in Iraq and an improving economy have taken a steady toll on the ability of the army and the marines to attract new recruits.

The Marines on Monday said they missed their recruiting goal in April for a fourth consecutive month.

The army has missed its goals for the past three months, while the army reserves have come up short for the past four months.

US military leaders are worried that the slump will put more stress on a a force already strained by protracted military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The army, which needs to enlist 80,000 recruits this year, has responded by raising bonuses and other recruitment incentives, and beefing up its recruiting force.

The maximum enlistment bonus is now up to 20,000 dollars recruits who sign up for a three to six year period in the active duty army. They get a minimum 10,000 dollar bonus once they complete initial training.

The army reserves offers recruits with prior service up to 15,000 dollars to sign up, and 10,000 dollars to those with no previous military experience.

The army also is trying to direct its message to parents and other "influencers," to overcome their reservations about encouraging youths from joining the military at a time when the news is filled with reports of US casualties in Iraq.

It aired four new commercials on April 11 aimed at parents, one of them in Spanish on television stations that reach Hispanic audiences and the others on stations such as "the Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel, Boyce said.

Boyce said the impact of those commercials will take time to be felt.

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