Gates Urges Increase in Army, Marines

Gates and Pace acknowledged, under sharp questioning from members of Congress, that similar efforts failed because there were not enough troops to hold certain areas, then build them back up.

"The analogy that I've used is that the tide came in and the tide went out, and . . . at the end, you couldn't tell there was a difference," Gates said. "The difference is, this time, to try and get some time under the hold phase for the build to actually take place."

Pace said he is confident the strategy will work, but only if political and economic efforts are pursued in earnest alongside the military approach. He said there initially will be an additional 8,000 Iraqi troops in Baghdad -- bringing the total to 50,000 -- and then 7,000 more U.S. troops in Baghdad, bringing the total to 31,000.

Another 10,500 U.S. troops will be "in the pipeline" to go to Iraq if the strategy looks as if it is working, he said.

Still, other officials expressed uncertainty about whether the Iraqis would come through with the required nine brigades. "We're watching them down to the finite details . . . [such as] how many got on the bus?" the senior military official said.

The permanent troop increase and the recalling of Guard and reserve units will not have an immediate impact on the addition of U.S. ground troops in Iraq, which Gates said yesterday would last only several months. But they would be vital to sustaining an escalation -- or even the regular rotation -- over the long term. By January 2008, National Guard combat brigades are expected to be called up for the rotation to provide relief for active-duty combat brigades, including those involved in the current surge, Gates and other senior officials said.

Under the policy change, National Guard and reserve forces will be called up as units, rather than as individuals, meaning that some reservists who have already served in Iraq or Afghanistan will be remobilized without having the planned five years at home. The duration of the call-ups will be shortened, however, from 18 months to one year.

Both active-duty and reserve personnel will be compensated if required to deploy faster than the usual turnaround time.

The total growth in the Army and Marine Corps would cost more than $10 billion a year for payroll and individual gear alone, according to Army data.

The Army has permanent active-duty personnel -- its congressionally authorized "endstrength" -- of 482,000, but in recent years it was allowed to grow temporarily by 30,000, and this year it expects to reach 512,000. Under Gates's plan, the Army would add 7,000 soldiers a year, to reach a total of 547,000 by 2012.

The Marine Corps has a permanent active-duty "endstrength" of 175,000 and has been allowed to increase temporarily to 180,000. It would grow by 5,000 Marines a year to attain a total of 202,000.

Staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.