Army to redistribute soldiers in effort to boost flexibility

WASHINGTON – Army leaders Friday announced plans to send thousands of additional troops to bases in nine states as part of what they described as the Army’s most extensive restructuring in a half-century.

States targeted for additional Army troops are Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Alaska, Washington and New York.

Outlining their plans at a Pentagon briefing, Army officials said the deployments are part of a restructuring to transform the Army away from its Cold War underpinnings into a swift, high-tech force more adept at confronting terrorists and other 21st century enemies.

“This is a huge change to get at this new enemy,” said Brig. Gen. David C. Ralston, director of force management. “It’s a reformed Army. Before, we had a Cold War Army.”

Texas is in line to receive the largest number of additional troops as the Army dispatches new brigades to the nine states over the next two years. More than 5,000 are being assigned to Fort Hood in central Texas, effective this year; an additional 3,800 will be sent to Fort Bliss in El Paso in 2006.

Three installations in Georgia are also being tapped for expanded manpower. Fort Benning will receive a total of 3,800 troops through 2006. More than 1,400 will go to Fort Stewart, while 300 are being sent to Fort Hunter Army Airfield.

Other major deployments include Fort Bragg, N.C., 5,300; Fort Riley, Kan., 3,400; Fort Campbell, Ky., 3,000; Fort Drum, N.Y., 4,200; Fort Lewis, Wash., 3,900; Fort Richardson, Alaska, 2,600; and Fort Polk, La., 300.

Army officials declined to outline the projected cost of the increases, which they said will be made up from new recruits and returning troops from overseas. The Army has a temporary manpower surplus estimated at up to 30,000, according to analysts.

The military is also looking at downsizing or shuttering small and obsolete bases as the Pentagon moves toward a comprehensive base-closing process next year. Army officials, however, said that no bases are being closed to create the troop additions announced Friday.

The new brigades are being created under a comprehensive modernization program pushed by Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff. Army leaders envision a fundamental retooling of the Army’s basic organizational structure to de-emphasize large divisions with upward of 10,000 troops, relying more heavily on smaller, flexible brigades composed of about 3,500 troops.

Army officials plan to expand the number of brigades from 34 to 48. Ralston said the changes constitute “the most serious restructuring in 50 years.”

The manpower boosts announced Friday promise an economic surge for the affected communities and could help make the Army installations less vulnerable to the ax when the base-closure process revs up next year.