U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Monday that the size of the U.S. Army is being increased temporarily by 22,000 soldiers to help meet the needs of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and other missions around the world. For the second time since 2007, the military has determined it does not have enough soldiers. Gates already had increased the size of the Army and Marine corps shortly after taking the top defense job. Gates said that while progress in Iraq will lead to a reduction in the number of troops there, more forces are needed in Afghanistan because of worsening violence. He said the persistent pace of operations in the two conflicts over several years has meant a steady increase in the number of soldiers who are wounded, stressed, or otherwise unable to deploy with their units. Also causing troop-level shortages is the decision earlier this year to stop the unpopular practice of keeping soldiers beyond their enlistment dates. “The cumulative effect of these factors is that the Army faces a period where its ability to continue to deploy combat units [with enough soldiers] is at risk,” Gates told reporters at the Pentagon. “This is a temporary challenge that will peak in the coming year and abate over the course of the next three years.”
