When President Bush addresses the nation Wednesday night, he's expected to call for an additional 20,000 troops in Iraq. If that happens, officials in Governor Jim Doyle's office say it should not impact Wisconsin troops right away. Doyle spokesman Matt Canter says an immediate surge is not expected to tap National Guard troops in any state. If the Guard is called up, Canter says Wisconsin would be lower on the list because they'd be activated in the order they were originally called up. Wisconsin is lower on that list.
However, Canter says the impact of a sustained call for additional troops remains unclear. But the administration has faith in Wisconsin guard members and believes they'll handle whatever is assigned to them. Wisconsin currently has about 1,000 National Guard troops serving overseas.