We’ve heard this so often, it must be true: The Army does not want to permanently increase the size of its force. Congress awarded a temporary increase of 30,000 soldiers in last year’s defense bill, but many lawmakers have clamored for the boost to become permanent. Army Secretary Francis Harvey just reconfirmed that the Army is not interested. He said that the Army plans to increase the number of available combat troops by completing its internal reorganization. He told reporters that the get-well date—when it could return to its previous end strength of 482,000 soldiers—is Fiscal 2011. Considering the state of their recruiting efforts, gaining those extra 30,000 troops, even temporarily, could prove impossible.
After a long period in which munitions were almost an afterthought and sacrificed to pay for other priorities, the Air Force needs to focus on them in order to have the right “package” of capabilities for future conflicts, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said June 7.