Lawmakers call for increase in Army, Air Force, Marines troop numbers

[lebkuchen]

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=19222

U.S. Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D- Calif., introduced a bill in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, calling for an 8 percent increase in troop numbers across the three services.

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But the military leadership isn’t clamoring for more troops, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday during a press briefing.

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Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed Rumsfeld’s assessment that no more troops are needed. When asked if the military would be ready to handle another conflict, Myers said: hat’s an unqualified yes.”

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The military should brace itself for a possible mass exodus of disenchanted guard and reserve forces, she said, and more active duty forces could mitigate the blow.

“We are deeply, deeply concerned, not only for the readiness of troops rotating out of Iraq and Afghanistan … but we continue to be concerned, and frankly deeply worried, that we are creating irreparable harm to our guard and reserves by these extended deployments.”