Consequences of Growing Military Could Be High

Dec. 23, 2006 — -- Marine Col. Steve Zotti just returned home to his family after a year-long tour of duty training Iraqi troops.

"I think it's good in that we have a lot of experience now," Zotti said. "It gets bad because human beings over time, it starts to wear on them. There's a cost of doing it."

That cost is often paid by the family of those serving overseas for extended periods of time. More than two-thirds of the 175,000 active-duty Marines have been through Iraq since the war began, many three and even four times.

There also is a large financial cost to bulking up the armed forces.

However, President Bush has told reporters he has asked the new defense secretary, Robert Gates, to study adding more troops -- a sharp departure from former Sec. Donald Rumsfeld's "less is more" theory. Throughout his tenure, Rumsfeld supported military technology over military might.

Just this week, President Bush did an about face on this issue.

"I'm inclined to believe that we need to increase in the permanent size of both the United States Army and the United States Marines," he said.

But with extended conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army's chief of staff, Gen. Peter Schoomaker, has warned that the military is reaching the breaking point -- a statement echoed by top retired generals.

"In the Army, they try at least one year in, two years outside of Iraq before you go back; they're not making that," said retired Gen. Bill Nash, an ABC News consultant. "In the Marine Corps, [the policy is] seven months in country, 14 months out of country; they're not making that. It's about to collapse around us."

Schoomaker advocates adding 30,000 more troops, but says he can only do so 6,000 at a time. That would take five years, so it would have no impact on the possible surge in Iraq.

Zotti's 11-year-old daughter Kendall said her dad has "missed birthdays and holidays and it feels uncomplete (sic) sometimes."

Zotti said he believes something has got to give.

"We've used our reserves for the last three years," Zotti said. "Unless we grow more reserves, we have to grow more active duty. We have to do one or the other. We can't continue with what we're doing, because we've worn out all the reserves."

A larger military comes with a hefty price tag for equipment, as well as for personnel.

"You gottta buy more guns," Nash said. "You gotta buy more packs. You gotta buy more boots."