WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not yet convinced of the need to increase the size of the armed forces, the Washington Post reported.
However, he acknowledged the strain on U.S. troops from the rise in overseas operations, and said he remained "open-minded" about the option of enlarging the military.
Faced with a growing discussion in military ranks and on Capitol Hill about staffing levels, Rumsfeld offered an explanation of his thinking during a Pentagon news conference.
While noting that additional analysis is underway, Rumsfeld warned against any rapid move to increase troop size because it takes a long lag time.
As an alternative to enlarging the force, Rumsfeld cited a number of organizational measures being considered.
These include reducing or eliminating some peacekeeping missions, using private contract personnel to protect military installations, putting civilians in more than 300,000 non-combat jobs and rebalancing assignments between active duty and reserve units.
