Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium

The U.S. Army intends to grow its active duty forces to 547,000 over the next five years. General Stephen Speakes, Army Deputy Chief of Staff, recently said this proposal will cost $70 billion. Our panel will seek to answer whether the proposed increase in the size of the active duty Army is on target. How will the Army afford and sustain this end-strength increase? And, are such goals realistic? Can the Army, for example, recruit 6,000 to 8,000 additional soldiers each year for the next five years without lowering its standards? Join us as former Senator Jim Talent addresses the need for increased defense spending and our panelists engage in a discussion of the plans to grow the size of the U.S. Army to fit the challenges of the 21st Century.