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| Wilson Calls for Increasing the Size of Military |
September 17, 2003 |
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| Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today called for a major increase in the size of the Armed Forces, including bulking up the Army, creating a Civilian Skills Corps and boosting Special Operations Forces by nearly 50 percent. Wilson, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, also chairs the House Policy Committee on National Security and Foreign Affairs.
In remarks at the National Defense University to a conference on the All Volunteer Force, Wilson called for major changes in our military to fight the war on terrorism, including:
• A new Civilian Skills Corps comprised of non-military specialists to supplement the military as needed.
• An expansion of Special Operations Forces from 35,000 to 50,000 people
• Increasing the size of the military by 90,000 to 150,000 troops, centering the additional strength in the U.S. Army.
“The War on Terror will define this generation of men and women serving in the military, just as the Cold War defined my generation of service,” Wilson said. “This new enemy will change the way our men and women in uniform are selected, organized, trained assigned and supported.”
Wilson said that since September 11th, the military has called up an average of 50,000 reserve and guard members each year, and that by March of next year the Army will not be able to cover all of its commitments without sending people on back-to-back combat zone assignments. Wilson called for increasing the size of the active duty military by 90,000 to 150,000 people, particularly the Army.
“Two years is a long time away from home,” Wilson said “I am afraid that after the parades and welcome home banners have been taken down, our mid-level NCOs and young officers will do some serious thinking about whether they stay or get out. This is not a short war: the likelihood of more deployments is high. Particularly in the Guard and Reserve, we may face retention problems in 2004-05 that we cannot afford. This commitment to expansion should be made soon, so that our men and women know that help is on the way.”
Creating a Civilian Special Skills Corps
Wilson also challenged the military to tap into the skills and desire of the American people to help by not limiting their calls for volunteers to the Guard and Reserve. She recommended the creation of a “Civilian Special Skills Corps” – a pool of civilians that the military could draw upon for special non-combat jobs. This corps would not be in the military, would not drill or give one weekend a month and would have little or no military training. They could be called upon for their non-military skills.
“If you need a banker, a rural water systems operator, a lineman from a utility company, or a police academy trainer, or someone who speaks pretty good Filipino or Farsi, they do not have to wear battle dress uniforms,” Wilson said. “If we can imbed journalists, we can imbed specialists.”
Wilson illustrated the point with the example of a 23-year-old staff sergeant tasked with setting up a school board in Iraq. She called home to her Dad who was Superintendent of Schools to ask him how to do it. “She probably did a great job – and she was smart enough to ask for advice,” Wilson said. “But in every town in America there are people who have spent their lives corralling school boards. You should be able to ask them for their help.”
Special Operations
Wilson also highlighted the need to strengthen our Special Operations forces by expanding them from 35,000 to 50,000 people.
“The unique skills of our special operators are more in demand today than ever,” Wilson said. “The expansion must be gradual so that these teams retain the capabilities we expect of them.”
“The men and women of our military have been doing a magnificent job keeping Americans safe at home and hunting down enemies abroad,” Wilson concluded. “Now, we need to do the right thing by our military. We need to give them the force necessary to win and come home again.”
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