Army to Add 22,000 Soldiers

Those wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are taking their toll. To cope with rising demand, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he will increase the size of the Army by 22,000 troops for a period of three years. That means there will be 569,000 active-duty soldiers, bringing America’s active-duty armed forces close to 1.5 million.

The U.S. ranks second, between China and India—which each have about four times the American population—in terms of active-duty troops.

BBC:

The US Army will “temporarily” increase its size by 22,000 soldiers for the next three years, Defence Secretary Robert Gates has announced.

The additional troops are intended to ease the strain of the US’s deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Gates said.

Read more

DoD / R. D. Ward

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates responds to a reporter’s question about troop levels in Afghanistan during a press briefing with Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.