To the Point

Is the Volunteer Army Shrinking?

With the Reserves and National Guard below strength already, the active-duty Army may fail to meet its goal of 80,000 new recruits during the fiscal year that began last October. Only 18% have signed up so far, less than half last year's figure. It appears that young men and women are being scared off by continued combat in the very place where they're needed most, Iraq. Enlistees are being rushed into training as quickly as possible and prospective recruits are being offered financial incentives. Will that be enough? Do "stop loss" orders and recalls amount to a backdoor draft? We examine whether America will have the troops it needs for Iraq, the war on terror, and homeland security with journalists, analysts and experts from the Center for Research on Military Organization and the Brookings Institution, and a spokesperson for the Army. Making News: Jaafari Is Shiite Candidate for Iraqi Prime Minister The Shia Alliance that won last month's Iraqi election has named its candidate for prime minister. It will be neither former Pentagon favorite Ahmad Chalabi nor interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. The nominee is Ibrahim Jaafari, leader of the Islamic Dawa Party. Phebe Marr, author of the Modern History of Iraq and senior fellow at the US Institute of Peace, offers possible reason for Jaafari's selection and what we might from his leadership. Reporter's Notebook: Civilians Organize to Patrol the Arizona-Mexico Border With Arizona having become the nation's busiest crossing point for illegal immigration, some border residents claim they'll take matters into their own hands. On April 1, a group calling itself the Minutemen Project says it will line up along 20 miles of the Mexican border to repeal illegals. Claudine Lomonaco, who covers immigration and the border for the Tucson Citizen, reports that vigilantes have organized to "assist" the US Border Patrol.