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05/28/2004:

"Just in Case Anybody is Indulging Any Illusions About Kerry..."

Kerry Calls for More Troops to Bolster U.S. Military (Update1)
bloomberg.com

May 28 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry called for increasing the U.S. military by 40,000 troops, probably for a decade, in order ``to match its new missions'' in the war on terror and homeland security.

``I make this simple pledge,'' Kerry, 60, said in remarks prepared for delivery to veterans and military families in Green Bay, Wisconsin. ``If I am president, I will fight for a constant standard of decency and respect for those who serve their country in our armed forces -- on active duty and as veterans.''

The added troops would help ``relieve over-extended'' National Guard and reservists in Iraq and Afghanistan, Kerry spokesman David Wade said. Half of the additional 40,000 troops would be used as military police and for civil affairs, tasks now mainly carried out by reservists; the other 20,000 would be combat troops. The U.S. now has about 138,000 troops in Iraq.
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