The Army is dangling time off to play a video game to keep soldiers signed up, a sign recruiting and retention are still struggling.

• A battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia is offering a four-day pass timed to the November GTA 6 release for soldiers who re-enlist for two to six years.
• About 130 soldiers are eligible and 20 have taken the deal so far; the Army says it could expand the idea.
• The military has courted gamers for years — an eSports team, recruiters at gaming conventions — after missing its recruiting goal in 2018.
• The push has a practical side: drone piloting and air traffic control reward the same fast reflexes and quick decisions that gamers already have.
• Critics of the offer say a long weekend is thin next to the cash bonuses of past decades, which ran into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Outlook: Expect more gamer-focused recruiting gimmicks as enlistment numbers stay below target and drone warfare grows.