I don't have the figures right now, but I've read that a lot of combat troops stationed in Europe have been sent. I'm all in favor of greatly reducing our troop strength in places where they are no longer needed, such as Europe. Several years ago, the Army published the tidbit that they had troops stationed in 100 countries around the world. Quite likely, those included small detachments doing things like intel from embassies (a legal function).

To give you some idea of how complicated it would be to send 100,000 more troops, take a look at this article that appeared today in my local paper. Remember, this is the logistics for the 10,000 troops sent from Fort Carson. Imagine the challenge of sending 10 times that number.

The 96 railcars loaded with tanks and trucks that arrived Monday at Fort Carson are an impressive display of sand-colored firepower.

But to combat-hardened soldiers, the trains look like a lot of work.

The 4,000 vehicles that started arriving Monday from Iraq must be moved, scrubbed and, most of all, repaired. Soldiers beat up those vehicles during a year at war, and they know it will take a lot of wrenching to put Fort Carson units back on the road.

“You figure they were driven hard every day for a year,” said Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Quiroz as he waited for 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment vehicles to get unloaded. “The continuous operations take a toll.”

That means when soldiers return from vacation in May, they’ll have to put on coveralls.

“I’m sure there will be enough work waiting for us,” said Spc. Kevin Pitt.

More than 10,000 Fort Carson soldiers have come back from Iraq since February. Their vehicles’ journey was slower.

The trainloads of vehicles at Fort Carson are the first part of a procession that will take weeks. The last of the equipment was loaded on ships in Kuwait last week for a monthlong sea voyage and won’t be back at the post until June. (more available at the link).

I support looking into increasing the size of the active duty Army, but it is a challenge. Last year, some Republican lawmakers inserted an amendment in the $87 appropriations bill to increase the active duty force by 10,000. According to this article:

"The addition of Army end-strength is not a near-term solution to the current stress on the force," Rumsfeld wrote. "It takes a great deal of time to recruit, train, organize, and equip new forces."

Rumsfeld wrote, "The current cost estimates for an additional Army end-strength of 10,000 forces are imprecise, but I am told they could be between $500 million and $1 billion per year." He added that the troop increase proposed in the amendment could take two years to fully integrate into deployable forces.

According to this article, they compromised in typical Washington fashion by authorizing an increase of 30,000 personnel on a temporary basis, from the current 480,000 to 510,000.

On Wednesday, Schoomaker said the addition of 30,000 personnel would be needed for about four years so the service could sustain deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, currently more than 130,000 troops, as the Army restructures 10 active-duty divisions and much of its reserve and National Guard forces.

Remember, it takes all kinds of military specialists to support a deployed force. You can't just send infantry and military police, you need to send the support personnel, often several of them for each trigger-puller. One of the most dangerous jobs in Iraq lately has been truck driver. A lot of military convoys have been attacked. Driving a truck full of ammo or fuel knowing you could get ambushed takes guts.

This article from last summer shows the magnitude of the challenge the Army is facing:

The problem is most acute for the Army. While most Marines, sailors and Air Force personnel go home to a grateful nation, the Army still has more than 185,000 troops deployed in and around Iraq. Another 10,000 are in Afghanistan. More than 25,000 troops are in Korea; some 5,000 are in the Balkans; and dozens here and hundreds there are on temporary assignments around the world. Nearly all of these soldiers are away from their home bases and families.

This total of nearly 250,000 deployed troops must be generated from an Army of just over 1 million. The active-duty force numbers 480,000, of which fewer than 320,000 are easily deployable at any given moment. The Army Reserve and Army National Guard together include 550,000 troops, many of whom already have been called up at least once since 9/11.

Deployment demands are likely to remain great, even if Rumsfeld and Bush hope otherwise. The Pentagon is lining up 20,000 to 30,000 allied troops to help in Iraq come September, from countries such as Poland and Italy and Ukraine. Unfortunately, as recent events underscore, the overall mission is still likely to require nearly 200,000 coalition forces. That means 125,000 to 150,000 U.S. troops could still be needed for a year or more -- with 50,000 to 75,000 Americans remaining in and around Iraq come 2005 and 2006 if experience elsewhere is a guide.

As a result, a typical soldier spending 2003 in Iraq may come home this winter only to be deployed again in late 2004 or 2005. The typical reservist might be deployed for another 12 months over the next few years. These burdens are roughly twice what is sustainable.