Sens. Cornyn, Lieberman Offer Amendment To Expand The Army's Active Duty Ranks

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Sens. Cornyn, Lieberman Offer Amendment To Expand The Army's Active Duty Ranks

More Soldiers Are Key To Long-Term Success Of The Global War On Terror

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, joined Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., in introducing an amendment to the fiscal year 2010 Budget Resolution that would allow for the Army to increase its active duty force by 30,000 soldiers. Increasing the size of our Army would reduce wartime strains on those soldiers who deploy to overseas theaters of combat - and their families - by giving them more "dwell-time" at home before they potentially have to deploy overseas again.

"In recent years, the soldiers of our all-volunteer Army have gone above and beyond to defend our nation and carry out the global war on terror, and they have proven their skill, mettle, and dedication to duty time and again. Our troops have been engaged on two major fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many have completed multiple tours of combat duty. The demands on our men and women in uniform and their families have been substantial.

"Through our amendment, Sen. Lieberman and I seek to ease the burden on our existing active duty force by growing their ranks. I do not believe the Defense Department's current plans for growing the Army go far enough. This amendment would enable the Army to increase the size of its force by an additional 30,000 soldiers, alleviating much of the strain placed on the current force and giving Army leaders the needed breathing room to assess our personnel needs and more accurately plan for future requirements. In addition, it would accomplish this without increasing the federal deficit.

"It concerns me that the Army may not have an adequate number of active duty soldiers in uniform to sustain the high tempo of operations envisioned by President Obama. With his recent announcement of a bold surge of forces in Afghanistan, which I fully support, it is more important than ever to give the Army the resources it needs to accomplish the mission in Afghanistan, while taking care of our active duty personnel by ensuring they are not being stretched too thin.

"I believe some of the great Army posts in the State of Texas - Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, and Fort Sam Houston - would make fine homes for some of these additional soldiers. Fort Hood, an installation key to the defense of our nation, has already deployed more soldiers into combat than any other Army installation since 9/11. It would be an ideal location for another brigade combat team, as would Fort Bliss, which over the next few years will grow to one of the Army's largest in terms of soldiers stationed there."

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