Expansion of Army urged
WASHINGTON – The Army’s top official called Thursday for the acceleration of a multiyear expansion of the country’s biggest fighting force, a move that likely would require radical new approaches for keeping soldiers in uniform.
Army Secretary Pete Geren said the planned expansion from its official size of 482,000 to 547,000, announced by President Bush in December as the first post-Cold War increase in U.S. forces, should be completed in four years, rather than five, to alleviate the strain on troops from frequent combat tours.
Defense officials planning for the increase have voiced concern over the recent erosion of standards for new enlistees because of pressure to meet recruiting goals. Instead, the new Army plan will attempt to build the larger force in a shorter period of time by moving aggressively to retain its personnel.
The military has begun to consider options beyond the traditional cash bonuses and college scholarships to entice soldiers to continue their service. New approaches under consideration include the promise of graduate school for young officers and offering educational benefits for the children of career soldiers.
The new approaches reflect the continuing fallout of the 4 1/2-year Iraq war. Long and repeated deployments have created new stresses on troops, which in turn have forced the Army to re-evaluate how it provides for soldiers and their families.
At the same time, the Pentagon will consider ways to curb enticements to valuable soldiers from lucrative private-sector employers. One step under consideration is the use of “non-compete” clauses to prevent private security companies and other contractors doing business with the Pentagon from hiring experienced employees from the enlisted ranks.
Such clauses are used in private workplaces to protect proprietary information. Pentagon lawyers are considering whether they could be used in documents signed by contractors.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that he was inclined to support the Army plan to speed up the expansion. But he said he would not allow the Army to enlist more recruits without a high school diploma.
“I have been very explicit that as least as long as I’m here, I will not allow them to lower the standard,” Gates said at a news conference.
About 76 percent of current Army recruits have high school diplomas, Gates said, down from more than 90 percent in past years.
“We’d like to see that get back up,” Gates said.
A final decision on whether to speed up the growth plan might depend on whether the Army makes its recruiting goals for the 12-month period that ends Sunday, Army officials said.