US to add 22,000 troops to army

Robert Gates: "The army faces a period where its ability to deploy combat brigades at acceptable fill rates is at risk"

The US Army will "temporarily" increase its size by 22,000 soldiers for the next three years, Defence Secretary Robert Gates has announced.

The additional troops are intended to ease the strain of the US's deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Gates said.

The extra manpower will raise the total number of active US soldiers from 547,000 to 569,000.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8160110.stm