Overstretched by the Iraq war, the U.S. Army is asking for 3 billion U.S. dollars to accelerate the expansion of its active-duty units, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates confirmed Thursday.
Speaking with reporters at Pentagon, Gates said he will probably greenlight the plan.
However, before a final approval, he would like to know more about the details of the plan, including whether the Army has to lower its recruiting standards in exchange for growth in size.
Army Secretary Pete Geren said earlier that the efforts for rapid expansion include accelerating recruitment and re-enlisting more veterans.
In January, U.S. President George W. Bush decided to expand active-duty Army troops by 74,000 soldiers in five years, bringing the total to 586,000 from 512, 000, hoping to ease the Army's personnel strain.
However, as Iraq war continues to strain the Army, the service was forced to accelerate the planned expansion.
美国防部长罗伯特盖茨周四证实，随着美军在伊拉克战争中的过度扩张，美国军方需要30亿美元来加快其现役军队的扩大。盖茨在五角大楼对记者表示，他可能会批准这一计划。
然而，在作出最终决定前，他需要了解该计划更多的详细情况，包括美军是否要降低征兵标准，籍此来扩大征兵规模。美军参谋长皮特盖伦曾表示，快速扩军需要加快募兵和重新征召更多老兵.
美国总统乔治.布什于一月份表示，他决定在5年内使现役美军增加74，000人，从原来的总兵力512，000人增加到586，000人，以此来减轻美军的兵力压力。
但是随着伊拉克战争持续给美军带来的压力，美政府不得不加快其扩军计划。
