Washington – The Army’s top general warned Thursday that his force “will break” without thousands more active-duty troops and greater use of the reserves.
Noting the strain put on the force by operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the global war on terrorism, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker said he wants to increase his half-million-member Army beyond the 30,000 troops added in recent years.
He didn’t give an exact number, but said it would take significant time and commitment by the nation, noting 6,000 to 7,000 soldiers could be added per year.
Officials also need greater authority to tap into the National Guard and Reserve, long ago set up as a strategic reserve but now needed as an integral part of the deployed forces, Schoomaker told a commission studying possible changes in those forces.
“Over the last five years, the sustained strategic demand … is placing a strain on the Army’s all-volunteer force,” Schoomaker told the commission in a Capitol Hill hearing.
“At this pace … we will break the active component” unless reserves can be called up more often to help, he said.
