Army Considers Extending Reserve

• Move Would Help Meet Iraq Demand

Massing enough troops for another rotation in Iraq will be "painful" and may eventually require the Pentagon to adopt policies that would extend the two-year limit on the mobilization of reserves, a senior Army leader told Congress yesterday.  "Right now we have 650,000 soldiers on active duty executing missions worldwide, and many of them have met their 24-month cumulative time, so we'll have to address this," Gen. Richard A. Cody testified before the House Armed Services Committee.  Yesterday's testimony underscored a debate brewing in the Pentagon over how to meet the long-term demands of the war on terrorism. The Pentagon now limits reserves to a total of 24 months of active duty, but the Army is considering seeking an extension to allow for longer and more frequent deployments of reservists. Cody said the Army has not asked for a formal change of policy but made it clear that was under consideration. "We're trying to be very careful before we make these changes" because they would have broad implications, he said after the hearing.  Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, chief of the Army Reserve, who also testified, told reporters afterward that he believes the Army will keep the current limit. "I don't know that a formal decision has been made; I think, in fact, though, it has," he said. "It will remain cumulative."  The pressure for a broader mobilization comes as demand for troops in Iraq remains unexpectedly high. Cody acknowledged that shortly after major combat operations in Iraq were declared over on May 1, 2003, the Pentagon projected that the number of brigades required to secure the country would fall from 16 at that time to 11 by December 2003 and four last year. There are now 20 U.S. brigades in Iraq, including an increase of about three brigades deployed only for the period surrounding the Iraqi elections held last Sunday. [more]