U.S. Army to get temporary troop boost

WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- The number of active-duty U.S. Army soldiers will increase temporarily by 22,000 to help eliminate stress, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday.

The additional troops will increase the current authorized permanent end strength from 547,000 to 569,000, Gates said during a news briefing.

"The Army has reached a point of diminishing returns in its multi-year program to reduce the size of its training and support tail," Gates said. "The cumulative effect of these factors is that the Army faces a period where its ability to continue to deploy combat units at acceptable fill rates is at risk."

Based on existing deployment estimates, he said, the challenge would peak during the coming year and wan during the next three years.

"For these reasons, I have authorized the Army to temporarily increase its personnel strength by up to 22,000 troops for a period of three fiscal years," he said.

The additional forces will help ensure that deployed units "are properly manned and not to create new combat formations," he said.

The Pentagon won't seek additional funds for either fiscal year 2009 or 2010, Gates said.

"I'm convinced that this is an important and necessary step to ensure that we continue to properly support the needs of our commanders in the field while providing relief for our current force and their families," he said.

Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the temporary increase would help the Pentagon "get a better handle on dwell time and boost the number of people we can deploy with the capabilities our commanders most need. ... It's not just about relief. It's about renewing our efforts to fight these two wars."