"General Criticizes Larger Army" / "Plan to Extend Nat'l Guard Denied"

[GreenPartyVoter]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Spending money on a permanent increase in Army troops would hamper efforts to modernize the service, the Army's top general said Wednesday.

Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker renewed the Pentagon argument that the military can get through the current high level of deployments with temporary increases such as mobilizing more National Guard and Reserve forces and encouraging more soldiers to re-enlist at the end of their duty.

"We are growing the Army as fast as we can grow the Army," he told the House Armed Services Committee. He was speaking at a hearing into Army transformation - the effort in recent years to switch from Cold War posture and make the service faster, lighter and more able to quickly deal with today's threats.

Against Bush administration wishes, the Senate and House have voted to add tens of thousands of troops to an Army stretched thin when the war on Iraq was launched on top of the global war on terror.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20040721/D83VEGD00.html



WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday he has no plan to extend the mobilization of National Guard soldiers whose active-duty commitments are about to expire, but other officials said it was under consideration for about 450 Guardsmen from Arkansas.

Rumsfeld was asked about a Los Angeles Times report that David Chu, the Pentagon's personnel chief, was considering waiving the 24-month mobilization limit for certain Arkansas Guardsmen in Iraq.

"No, we don't plan at the moment to extend people beyond the 24 months," Rumsfeld said, then quickly added: "Although one should never say never. And we are at war."

In an appearance before the House Armed Services Committee, Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army's chief of staff, seemed to indicate that the matter was about to be resolved.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20040721/D83VDCD80.html



"Pentagon Faces Estimated $12B Shortfall"


WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon will need an additional $12.3 billion through September to pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and its worldwide effort against terrorism, congressional auditors estimate.

That is triple what Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, projected in April he would need to make it through September.

Lawmakers of both parties said at the time that his projection seemed too low, so the congressional projection issued Wednesday was no surprise.

Democrats quickly used it to criticize President Bush for underestimating the burden the wars - especially in Iraq - have thrust on taxpayers.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20040722/D83VN9K01.html