US Defense Secretary Robert Gates today announced a temporary increase in the size of the US Army that would boost the force by up to 22,000 troops for three years.
He told reporters at a news briefing that the increase, intended to cope with strains from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, would raise the total strength of the Army to 569,000 soldiers.
"The Army faces a period where its ability to deploy combat units at acceptable fill rates is at risk," Gates told reporters. "This is a temporary challenge which will peak in the coming year and abate over the course of the next three years."
The increase is smaller than a plan backed by Senator Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which would have added about 30,000 troops to active duty.
The expansion was recommended by the Army's civilian and uniformed leadership and strongly backed by President Barack Obama, Mr Gates said.
The Pentagon plans to absorb an initial expansion cost of $1.1 billion through fiscal year 2010, which begins October 1st, without additional funding from Congress. But Mr Gates suggested more funds could be necessary in fiscal years 2011 and 2012.
Mr Gates authorised a permanent increase in US Army strength soon after he became defense secretary in 2006, believing the largest branch of the US military did not have enough forces to support heightened operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
That increase, which was recently completed, boosted the Army's size by 65,000 soldiers to 547,000. It also added 27,000 Marines to the US Marine Corps.
Reuters