The US military has announced it’s met all of its annual recruiting goals for the first time in thirty-five years. In announcing the milestone, the Pentagon said the nation’s worst economic crisis since the Great Depression played a key role in boosting enlistments. Senior Pentagon official Curtis Gilroy said a ten percent increase in the national unemployment rate generally translates into a four to six percent improvement in recruiting goals. Another top official, Bill Carr, called the recession “a force,” adding, “unemployment…allowed us to be for much of the year in a very favorable position.”