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August 29, 2008 2:00:42 CDT

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Gates Eyes $3B Army Expansion

Posted Sep 28, 07 9:42 AM CDT in US 

(Newser) – Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he's likely to approve spending nearly $3 billion over the next four years to accelerate an expansion of the US Army, stretched thin by punishing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the AP reports. The Pentagon believes the Army and Marine Corps need to grow to keep up commitments without wearing out troops and alienating families.

Gates cautioned that he would not approve any plan that would boost numbers by lowering standards for recruits, such as education levels. The percentage of Army recruits with a high school diploma has dropped to 76%, compared with over 90% in recent years. "We'd like to see that get back up," Gates said.

Source Associated Press

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Maria Thompson, 19, left, an online business student, listens to a recruitment speech from U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Allan Welchez Rivera in Mayaguez, western Puerto Rico, Aug. 24, 2007. As the wars in Iraq...   (Associated Press)
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates speaks during a news conference, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)   (Associated Press)
A U.S. soldier holds his sniper position on a rooftop in a Shiite enclave of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, in this April file photo. A(AP Photo/Adil al-Khazali, FILE)   (Associated Press)
Soldiers with the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division grieve for 10 fellow soldiers killed in Iraq during a memorial service Thursday Sept. 20, 2007 on Warrior's Walk in Fort Stewart, Ga. The 10 soldiers...   (Associated Press)
A handout released by the US Army 14 September 2007 shows an...   (Getty Images)
U.S. Soldiers Conduct Night Operations In Baghdad   (Getty Images)
U.S. Troops Watch President Bush's Speech On Iraq   (Getty Images)
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Iraq  • Afghanistan  • Pentagon  • US Army  • Robert Gates  • US Marine Corps  • recruitment  • expansion  • Defense Secretary  • high school graduates


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