Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered the U.S. Army to grow to 547,000 active personnel by 2010, two years sooner than was previously planned. Its current head count is 512,000. The Army has come under severe strain while fighting two wars simultaneously, with many soldiers being deployed for multiple tours of combat duty. “Meeting this target will not be easy,” said Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Jr.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Shots fired in the US-EU war over digital censorshipIN THE SPOTLIGHT The Trump administration risks opening a dangerous new front in the battle of real-world consequences for online action
-
What will the US economy look like in 2026?Today’s Big Question Wall Street is bullish, but uncertain
-
Alaa Abd el-Fattah: should Egyptian dissident be stripped of UK citizenship?Today's Big Question Resurfaced social media posts appear to show the democracy activist calling for the killing of Zionists and police
