WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army in July narrowly exceeded its monthly recruiting goal for the first time in three months, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The Army's failure to meet targets in May and June was viewed as troubling by defense officials, who are watching recruitment trends for signs that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are making it tougher to attract new troops.

But the force was back on target in July, according to Pentagon figures. The Army signed up 9,972 active-duty recruits last month, surpassing its goal of 9,750.

The Army also said it was ahead of its target for the fiscal year to date -- with 61,863 active-duty recruits against a goal of 60,900. For the full fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, the Army has a target of 80,000 active-duty recruits.

All active-duty branches of the military services met or exceeded their goals for recruits in July, the Pentagon said.

The Reserve components of the services also met or exceeded their targets, except the Air National Guard, which signed up 787 recruits, short of its goal of 907.

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