Washington ? The Army is likely to make a temporary 30,000 increase in troop numbers permanent as it struggles to ease the burden on forces strained by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior Army general said Thursday.

The general, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said that the boost in the Army’s ranks had become necessary for the military to meet its growing overseas commitments.

A year ago, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld allowed the Army to temporarily boost its ranks by 30,000 to reduce stress on the force. But Rumsfeld has long opposed a permanent increase in the size of the Army. Rumsfeld, with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker, instead has been pushing a plan to increase the number of combat-ready troops by converting cooks, accountants and truck drivers into front-line soldiers.

But as Pentagon officials draw up troop rotation plans for Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has apparently decided that these initiatives are not sufficient.

“The cumulative effect of these deployments is really catching up with us,” another Army official said.

Army officials estimate that the permanent troop increase, which would bring the federally mandated size of the Army to 512,000 soldiers, would cost the Pentagon roughly $3 billion per year.

A Pentagon request for more troops would be favored in Congress, which must authorize such a move. Over the past year, Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have supported legislation to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps. The legislation died after White House and Pentagon officials opposed it.

The senior general also said the Army would push to change policy to allow the Pentagon to keep reservists on active duty longer than they now serve.

Under current Pentagon policy established just days after the 9-11 attacks, a reservist’s cumulative time on active duty cannot exceed 24 months. Under the policy being considered, a reservist could be deployed multiple times, for up to 24 months of active duty each time.