Defense Secretary Robert Gates has announced plans to expand the size of the US Army by 22,000 troops in part to cope with strains from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Robert Gates: “On the recommendation of Secretary of the Army Pete Geren and Chief of Staff of the Army General George Casey, and with President Obama’s strong support, today I am announcing a decision to temporarily increase the active-duty end strength of the Army by up to 22,000. That is a temporary increase from the current authorized and permanent end strength of 547,000 to an authorized temporary end strength of 569,000 active-duty soldiers.”

Mike Mullen, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, supported the expansion of the military.

Mike Mullen: “I’ve grown, as you all know, increasingly concerned over the last year and a half about stress on the force and our ability to meet the demands out there. This temporary increase helps us address that concern. It will also help us get a better handle on dwell time and boost the number of people we can deploy with the capabilities our commanders most need. And that’s really the larger point here. It’s not just about relief. It’s about renewing our efforts to fight these two wars.”