{"id":45229,"date":"2018-07-12T20:03:48","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T20:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:56:14","slug":"as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/","title":{"rendered":"As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=7cb72ad1-72f4-48f8-a4c3-3f3a76b6a834\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/video-poster-7cb72ad1-72f4-48f8-a4c3-3f3a76b6a834.png\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With high-profile NATO meetings recently unfolding, it helps to know the fundamentals of the group, and why the Black Sea region is so important.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 President Donald Trump\u2019s recent talk of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/07\/05\/trumps-nato-summit-focus-wont-include-withdrawing-troops-from-europe\/\" target=\"_blank\">drawing down U.S. forces and missions overseas<\/a> comes as Congress is preparing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2018\/04\/25\/house-lawmakers-back-white-house-plans-for-26-percent-pay-raise-end-strength-boost\/\" target=\"_blank\">another big increase in military end-strength<\/a> next year, a seemingly contradictory set of policy planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But supporters of the plus up, including a number of key lawmakers, say adding more troops to the ranks has more to do with filling more subtle gaps in the Defense Department than increasing or sustaining <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/07\/11\/trump-blasts-nato-allies-for-inaction-accuses-germany-of-being-under-russias-control\/\" target=\"_blank\">a broad global strategy<\/a>. In many cases, the extra bodies could mean fully staffing units for the first time in years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHopefully we\u2019re creating more time for dwell and deploy cycles, more time for training exercises,\u201d said Fred Bartels, policy analyst for defense budgeting at The Heritage Foundation. \u201cYou\u2019re building more internal capacity. Even if we were to draw down folks from overseas, you still have units that need to be ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this year, as part of the fiscal 2019 budget plan, the White House requested a boost of 15,600 troops across the four services as part of an effort to \u201crebuild\u201d military capabilities. It comes after end-strength increases of more than 25,000 service members in the previous two years, after a stretch of personnel trims the years before.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/05\/24\/senate-defense-plan-calls-for-fewer-new-troops-than-the-white-house-wants\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4352547.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Senate defense plan calls for fewer new troops than the White House wants<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">House and Senate negotiators will have to decide in coming months just how large the services need to be to counter growing security threats.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump had made the service-member boosts a key part of his presidential campaign and a repeated refrain during his first year in office. But he has also repeatedly lamented the burden on U.S. military forces worldwide, asserting that America spends too much money on security operations overseas that don\u2019t directly impact U.S. interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last month, following a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump announced he would cancel upcoming military exercises with South Korea \u2014 saving \u201ca fortune\u201d which Pentagon officials later estimated at $14 million \u2014 and suggested he would like to start discussions on withdrawing tens of thousands of U.S. troops from that region in coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, the Washington Post reported that Trump has requested an analysis of the national security impact and cost savings of a separate large-scale withdrawal of U.S. forces from Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/07\/02\/pentagon-reportedly-assessing-cost-of-withdrawing-troops-from-germany\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-07-02-at-09.48.59.png.png?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Pentagon reportedly assessing cost of withdrawing troops from Germany<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Pentagon is reportedly analyzing the costs and repercussions associated with a large-scale withdrawal or transfer of American troops stationed in Germany.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked about that during this week\u2019s NATO summit, Trump responded instead that \u201cI have great confidence that (allies) will be spending more money, as they should be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reports have raised concerns among a number of congressional Democrats who have already criticized Trump for his rhetoric not matching his national security strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m worried with Trump alone in a meeting with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, he may offer to draw down another number of troops in Europe,\u201d said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat we need is an overall strategy that takes account of our end-strength all over the world, and I don\u2019t see any indication of a comprehensive strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"799\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/41368889491_df4bf7e134_k.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-85785\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/41368889491_df4bf7e134_k.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/41368889491_df4bf7e134_k.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/41368889491_df4bf7e134_k.jpg.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/41368889491_df4bf7e134_k.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., load onto a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, during the Joint Readiness Training Center exercise, April 7, 2018, at the Alexandria International Airport, La. (Tech. Sgt. Liliana Moreno\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Todd Harrison, director of defense budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the troop number confusion \u201cclearly shows some major disconnects, even within parts of the administration.\u201d He noted the new National Defense Strategy omitted end-strength counts altogether, even though it was a staple of past planning documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think we\u2019re seeing a lot of lawmakers in denial here,\u201d he said. \u201cThey want to grow the force, have been pushing for that, but are ignoring (Trump\u2019s) comments on reducing security missions because it doesn\u2019t fit with their goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But advocates for the end-strength boost say the confusion around Trump\u2019s long-term plans doesn\u2019t change the reality of personnel gaps in the services today. The suggested drawdowns in Europe and the Pacific aren\u2019t firm policy yet, and could give way to increased military demands instead of reduced expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRemember what has happened over the last several years: In order to have units ready to deploy, we\u2019ve cannibalized other units,\u201d said Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. \u201cA lot of this end-strength increase is to fill in those holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe bigger geo-strategic decisions don\u2019t affect the need to make units whole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bartles said the problem is particularly visible in the Army, where nearly two decades of increase operations tempo have created chronic understaffing problems for numerous units. Gary Schmitt, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said some rotational brigades in places like Europe have been operating at 80 percent capacity for an extended period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis end-strength isn\u2019t adding whole new brigades,\u201d he said. \u201cThey want to make sure everyone is fully manned. So no matter what the bigger policies are, they believe they\u2019re doing the right thing in adding more troops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House lawmakers approved the full 15,600 troop boost in their draft of the annual defense authorization bill earlier this spring. Senate Armed Services Committee members only backed roughly half that figure, arguing that better clarity is needed on those extra troops\u2019 roles and missions before adding the extra service members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve been working with the department, we\u2019re getting additional information from the Defense Department to justify the end-strength,\u201d said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee\u2019s panel on personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have concerns with the out-year obligations for end-strength, but when we\u2019ve spoken with the department, they\u2019re working on finding resources. I\u2019m open to that. We just have to find a way to fill those gaps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two panels are now negotiating the final personnel target in the authorization bill\u2019s conference committee. Regardless of how that work unfolds in coming days, the military is expected to see some end strength increase approved by Congress later this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/FY19NDAA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FY19NDAA<\/a> takes real steps to implement the Nat&#39;l Defense Strategy &amp;makes strategic investments to counter Russia &amp;China.<br><br>This <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NDAA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NDAA<\/a> keeps faith w\/ service members b\/c it provides a 2.6% pay raise, modernizes the officer personnel system &amp;supports troops &amp; military families. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FGevlm5Fl9\">pic.twitter.com\/FGevlm5Fl9<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Sen. Jim Inhofe (@JimInhofe) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JimInhofe\/status\/1008848346977533954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 18, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More troops are likely for each of the services next year, even as the president hints at reducing U.S. military presence overseas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":85783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[8,160,36,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3424],"class_list":["post-45229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"EQZAT2T7IZBVXKOSBSQHTS35Z4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"remove-feature-image","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"More troops are likely for each of the services next year, even as the president hints at reducing U.S. military presence overseas.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"More troops are likely for each of the services next year, even as the president hints at reducing U.S. military presence overseas.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-12T20:03:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T03:56:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-07-12T20:03:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T03:56:14+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 997,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4544908.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Congress\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4544908.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-07-12T20:03:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T03:56:14+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"More troops are likely for each of the services next year, even as the president hints at reducing U.S. military presence overseas.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4544908.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4544908.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/12\\\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Pentagon\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"pentagon\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals - Defense News","description":"More troops are likely for each of the services next year, even as the president hints at reducing U.S. military presence overseas.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals","og_description":"More troops are likely for each of the services next year, even as the president hints at reducing U.S. military presence overseas.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2018-07-12T20:03:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T03:56:14+00:00","author":"Leo Shane III","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Leo Shane III","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals","datePublished":"2018-07-12T20:03:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T03:56:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/"},"wordCount":997,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4544908.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Congress","Daily News Roundup","Newsletters","Pentagon"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/","name":"As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4544908.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-07-12T20:03:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T03:56:14+00:00","description":"More troops are likely for each of the services next year, even as the president hints at reducing U.S. military presence overseas.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4544908.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4544908.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/07\/12\/as-trump-talks-about-reducing-military-missions-lawmakers-still-push-to-boost-troop-totals\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pentagon","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/","ad_zone":"pentagon"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"As Trump talks about reducing military missions, lawmakers still push to boost troop totals"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4544908.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45229"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45232,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45229\/revisions\/45232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45229"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=45229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}