Analysis: Sending more troops could further strain Army

President Bush's expected announcement on television tonight that he will send thousands of additional troops to Iraq would place greater stress on an Army already feeling undermanned and overburdened.

The impact may depend on how many troops are sent - White House and congressional sources have suggested at least 20,000 - and for how long.

The Army, which during the 1991 Gulf War had 725,000 active-duty soldiers, has been reduced to 508,000. Yet its obligations remain enormous. The Army not only has 94,000 troops in Iraq, but it also has 17,000 in Afghanistan and 123,000 in 68 other nations around the globe.

Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, told a congressionally appointed panel last month that the force would "break" unless something was done.

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