CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The Army National Guard believes its best recruiting tool is its members, and it's willing to pay bonuses of up to $2,000 to guardsmen who persuade people to join.

The new recruiting initiative will be tested in North Dakota, West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Iowa and is expected to be expanded nationwide in five months, said Lt. Gen. Clyde A. Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard.

Vaughn and West Virginia Adj. Gen. Allen Tackett announced the program Monday in Charleston.

Guard officials in North Dakota were scheduled to discuss the initiative at a press conference in Bismarck on Wednesday.

Any guardsman in the test states who recruits someone to sign up will receive a $1,000 bonus. Another $1,000 bonus will be awarded if the recruit passes basic training.

The initiative comes as recruitment nationwide is lagging for both the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army.

The Army National Guard signed up 50,219 for 2005, which is 80 percent of its goal, according to end-of-year figures released by the Pentagon on Oct. 11.

Lt. Col. Dave Skalicky, the North Dakota National Guard's recruitment commander, said the recruitment goal of 560 new soldiers was not met for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. He said 480 people enlisted last fiscal year.

The military uses an Oct. 1-Sept. 30 counting period to coincide with the federal budget year.

This year, Skalicky said, the Guard has a goal of 590 new soldiers in North Dakota.

Skalicky said the North Dakota National Guard has had a state-funded program in place since October that pays a guardsman $500 for helping sign someone up.

Skalicky said 11 soldiers have enlisted under the new state initiative. He said the soldiers would now get $2,500 from state and federal funds for their recruiting efforts.

He expects the bonuses will spur enlistment.

"We're anticipating up to 200 from incentive program alone," Skalicky said.

The Army met its monthly goals from June through September but ran up such large deficits last spring that it ended the 12-month counting period with 6,627 fewer recruits than its goal of 80,000, according to the figures. It was the Army's first full-year deficit since 1999 and its biggest shortfall in 26 years.

Vaughn said the guard's recruiting initiative eventually could be expanded to include the Army.