The debate over whether the U.S. Army should be larger is beside the point.
The real question is what kind of an Army the United States should have five years after the 9/11 attacks dramatically changed the global military equation.
* Do we want an Army that still is largely unprepared to fight counterinsurgency warfare?
* Do we want an Army without enough of the right tools because of a crumbling infrastructure – broken-down tanks, APVs and other vehicles backed up in a repair and resupply chain that is overwhelmed?
* Do we want an Army that is unable to fight simultaneous wars in separate theaters because it can’t even keep up with the overwhelming nature of its one current war?
* Do we want an Army where almost no one speaks Arabic or other languages although civil affairs missions in overseas theaters have become as important as military missions?
* Do we want an Army where sexual orientation remains an issue?
* Do we want an Army where proselytizing Christianists are dominant?
Let’s try to answer these questions first. The question of what size the Army should be will then answer itself.