Overstretched by the Iraq war, the U.S. Army is asking for 3 billion U.S. dollars to accelerate the expansion of its active-duty units, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates confirmed Thursday.

Speaking with reporters at Pentagon, Gates said he will probably greenlight the plan.

However, before a final approval, he would like to know more about the details of the plan, including whether the Army has to lower its recruiting standards in exchange for growth in size.

Army Secretary Pete Geren said earlier that the efforts for rapid expansion include accelerating recruitment and re-enlisting more veterans.

In January, U.S. President George W. Bush decided to expand active-duty Army troops by 74,000 soldiers in five years, bringing the total to 586,000 from 512, 000, hoping to ease the Army's personnel strain.

However, as Iraq war continues to strain the Army, the service was forced to accelerate the planned expansion.