This growth includes the stationing of six new infantry brigade combat teams, eight support brigades in the active component, and associated growth in smaller combat support and combat service support units required to complement the Army’s overall force structure growth.

Plans are to grow the active force by 65,000 to a total of 547,000. About half of that amount is already in place. At the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting in October, Secretary Pete Geren and Gen. George Casey, chief of staff, said they planned to add the full 74,000 by 2010. This would be two years earlier than previously announced and would help reduce the stress on the force caused by operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Army is now deploying over 23 brigade combat teams to the two countries.

The re-stationing plan was briefed to President George W. Bush Dec. 17, and he gave his approval to proceed.

An announcement is expected in 2008 whether the new brigades will be separate or organized under an existing division.

The Army puts the cost of the additional six brigade combat teams at $2.63 billion.

The plan’s foundation is the implementation of Base Realignment and Closure-directed realignments and will affect about one-third of the active force when completed. This plan relocates the 1st Armored Division from Germany to Fort Bliss, Texas; and the 1st Infantry Division from Germany to Fort Riley, Kan., and Fort Knox, Ky., by September 2011; while extending brigade combat team capabilities in the European command for an additional two years through the activation of two brigade combat teams in Germany in 2008 and 2010.

Complying with the Record of Decision for the Army’s Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, the Army will grow six infantry brigade combat teams by: retaining one infantry brigade combat team at Fort Carson, Colo., as the 43rd Brigade Combat Team (Fiscal Year 2008); activating the 44th Brigade Combat Team at Fort Bliss in Fiscal Year 2009; converting one heavy brigade combat team to an infantry brigade combat team at Fort Stewart, Ga., as the 45th Brigade Combat Team, in Fiscal Year 2010; and growing three infantry brigade combat teams in Fiscal Year 2011, one each at Fort Stewart, the 46th, Fort Carson, the 47th, and Fort Bliss, the 48th.

The two brigade combat teams stationed in Germany for two years will relocate in Fiscal Year 2012 and 2013 respectively. These units tentatively are to go to Fort Bliss and nearby White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

The Army will also activate eight active component support brigades and re-station two others as part of rebalancing the force. In Fiscal Year 2008, an air defense artillery brigade headquarters activates at Fort Hood, Texas, and an engineer brigade headquarters activates at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; in Fiscal Year 2009, a maneuver enhancement brigade activates at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo; in Fiscal Year 2010, a fires brigade activates at Fort Bliss and a maneuver enhancement brigade will be re-stationed to Fort Richardson, Alaska, pending completion of a supplemental environmental analysis in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

In Fiscal Year 2011, an expeditionary sustainment command headquarters activates at Fort Lewis, Wash., and a sustainment brigade activates at Fort Hood, Texas; in Fiscal Year 2013, a military police brigade will be retained at Schofield Barracks; a battlefield surveillance brigade activates at Fort Polk, La.; and a maneuver enhancement brigade will be re-stationed to Fort Drum, N.Y.

To support these six infantry brigade combat teams and eight support brigades, the Army simultaneously is announcing the stationing of about 30,000 soldiers in combat support and combat service support units throughout the United States as well as various overseas locations.