Stalled defense act affecting recruiting

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A top U.S. Defense Department official says the stalled National Defense Authorization Act is hampering recruitment efforts.

Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy, says that military recruiters' promise of enlistment bonuses will not be available until Congress passes the legislation into law. Officials say prospective recruits, while still offered enlistment bonuses, are currently forced to sign contingency contracts that acknowledge the possibility of not getting a bonus, the American Forces Press Service reported.

"If we signed a contract today for a bonus, we have to be clear that, while we mention the bonus and while we plan on the bonus, we can't guarantee it," Carr said in a statement. "That can have a chilling impact on the propensity of a person to sign one of those contracts. That might affect their willingness to enter into a contract that conditionally promises a bonus."

President George Bush has refused to sign the bill in its present form, saying he wants Congress to revise some of its provisions regarding Iraq.

Carr says he is optimistic that Congress will sign the act and fix what could become a potentially larger problem.

"It has happened before, and Congress in the past has always gone back and made whole any circumstances that occurred during the lapse in authority," Carr said.