NPR's All Things Considered-Transcript

NPR's All Things Considered-Transcript

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, Host: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Debbie Elliott.

The nation is in the midst of a heated debate over the size of the U.S. force in Iraq, and it's going to be debating the size of the country's standing military. This week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates proposed adding 92,000 troops to the Army and Marine Corps. This would b the biggest buildup of U.S. ground forces since the Cold War.

One man who will be paying close attention to the proposal is Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island. He's a former Army Ranger who now serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee. I spoke with him yesterday.

Senator Reed, is it the right strategy to add 92,000 troops to the Army and Marine Corps over the next several years? You know, Secretary Gates seems to have a very different approach from Secretary Rumsfeld. When he first came into office, the goal seemed to be to streamline U.S. forces and rely less on manpower.

Senator JACK REED (Democrat, Rhode Island): Well, over the last several years, because of the actions of the administration, the Army and the Marine Corps have been stretched to close to the breaking point. And in fact, we really don't have a ready strategic reserve. The non-deployed Army units in the United States and outside of Iraq are not reporting ready because of equipment and training shortcomings. And so as a result, we do need additional personnel. And that is something that is required regardless of the present situation in Iraq or Afghanistan. We have to restore, I think, a larger land-based military force.

ELLIOTT: Is this kind of boots on the ground military solution what's going to be necessary to fight what some in the administration are now calling the long war? That term seems to be replacing war on terror?

Sen. REED: Well, first, the war on terror is most precisely not a conventional war. It is a Special Operations war relying on intelligence, Special Operations troops, and in many cases police forces, when you talk about more developed countries. It's an international area issue of concern across the globe. The real stress on the military is the current commitment in Iraq and Afghanistan to fight vestiges of sort of the war on terror, but more particularly insurgencies. And that also requires a reconstitution of the Reserve in case there's another problem around the world that require conventional forces.

ELLIOTT: Will 92,000 more troops be enough? You say that our Army and other military branches are stretched to the breaking point.

Sen. REED: Additional increment of troops is necessary. The right size in the troops depends upon the strategy and depends upon the contingencies. Right now, we just don't have a reserve in case there's a conflict elsewhere, or we need to use military forces as a deterrent or as a compliment to diplomatic activity. So we do have to increase the force. And I think this is a significant increase, which is appropriate.

I would caution, though, that today, unlike several years ago, when I first advocated increasing the size of the Army, it's a lot harder to recruit soldiers because of the obvious issues in Iraq, because of the concerns expressed by families. And so it's going to be a very difficult challenge, even if these troops are authorized to fully complete the ranks.

ELLIOTT: Well, military recruiters have already been having problems.

Sen. REED: Indeed, they have had significant problems. The year before, the Army did not meet its recruiting goals. This year, the Army did meet its goals, but part of that was reducing standards, increasing bonuses, and really sort of beginning to drive down the level of expectations in recruits that was maintained and built up over the last several decades.

ELLIOTT: How realistic is it to think that recruiters can come up with 92,000 more troops?

Sen. REED: I think it's going to be a huge challenge. And obviously the tools they have available to them are increased financial incentives. And also there'll be a temptation, I think, to lower standards, and that's not good. I think that so far they've adjusted standards, but they have not, I think, done so to the overall detriment of the force. But the pressure to recruit will be a pressure also to reduce the standards, the high standards that we've established for our volunteer forces.

ELLIOTT: If you're talking more troops and paying them more money, you're talking about higher costs for U.S. taxpayers, who are already spending billions to cover the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Will the Democratic-controlled Congress be willing to fund this type of military expansion?

Sen. REED: Well, I think there is a - obviously the support is there, I think, for increasing military forces. But I think the first point is the president has to level with American people, not only about the need for more troops but it's going to cost a lot. And it's also, I think, not only in terms of the active forces, but I think you also heard where they'll need more Reserve and National Guard forces, and that will cost additional money also.

Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Thank you.

Sen. REED: Thank you.

http://reed.senate.gov/newsroom/details.cfm?id=267588