Friday, February 03, 2006

National Guard Predicts Growth

National Guard officials said Monday that recruiting has accelerated so much in recent months that they expect to expand the Guard even as the Bush administration proposes to shrink it. The National Guard Bureau said the Guard is "aggressively working" to reach the 350,000-troop level by the end of the current budget year Sept. 30, it said. The Guard now has about 333,000 soldiers, which is the number the administration proposes to pay for.
In his 2007 budget proposal to be sent to Congress on Feb. 6, President Bush is expected to propose a Guard of 333,000 soldiers, compared with its congressionally authorized limit of 350,000. Administration officials say that is not a cut because 333,000 reflects the actual number of soldiers now in the Guard, which has experienced a deep recruiting slump.