May 28 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry called for 40,000 more U.S. troops in Iraq, saying he would ``modernize our military to match its new missions'' in the war on terror and homeland security.

``I make this simple pledge,'' Kerry said in remarks prepared for delivery to veterans and military families in Green Bay, Wisconsin. ``If I am President, I will fight for a constant standard of decency and respect for those who serve their country in our armed forces - on active duty and as veterans.''

The extra troops are needed in Iraq to ease pressure on soldiers and National Guard troops battling insurgents in the Middle Eastern country. Half of the 40,000 troops would be used as military police and for civil affairs, tasks now mainly carried out by reservists, while the other 20,000 would be combat troops, Kerry said.

The plan Kerry will present today is one of four priorities for a new U.S. security policy he first outlined yesterday in Seattle, Washington. His other three priorities are: to forge new international alliances, use diplomacy and economic leverage in addition to military might and reduce dependence on Middle Eastern oil.

``Kerry has to be careful in the campaign not to be perceived as too eager to change the course of U.S. policy toward Iraq,'' said Mark Rozell, head of Catholic University's politics department in Washington. ``His policy options are limited by what Bush decides and he cannot say too much in a critical way or else he risks being perceived as undermining the U.S. war effort. It is a delicate balancing act for him.''

Fully Equipped

Kerry, a four-term senator from Massachusetts, also says in planned remarks that he would extend U.S. military health care to the National Guard, reservists and their families and ensure that deployed soldiers are fully equipped. He also proposes a tax credit for small businesses struggling to pay reservists and National Guard called up for duty. Kerry's campaign didn't say how he intends to pay for his plan.

Kerry ``voted for the war in Iraq then declared himself an anti-war candidate,'' said Steve Schmidt, a Bush/Cheney campaign spokesman. ``He said it would be irresponsible to vote against money for our troops in Iraq and then voted against the money.''

Today's town hall meeting in Wisconsin is part of an 11-day campaign Kerry began yesterday attacking Bush's foreign policies. The president has come under increasing criticism over the administration's strategy for Iraq as violence in the country escalates before the June 30 deadline set by Bush to transfer sovereignty to Iraqis.

Approval Rating

Bush's approval rating dropped to record and near-record lows as a result of disclosures that U.S. soldiers abused Iraqi prisoners. At least seven soldiers have been criminally charged after photos were released showing prisoners forced to pose naked simulating sexual acts while grinning U.S. guards look on.

A Gallup poll this week found that 52 percent of those surveyed said the war in Iraq wasn't worth it compared with 45 percent who said they still believed that it was. That's down from 68 percent who said they supported the war a year ago and 29 percent who said it wasn't worth it, according to a poll of 1,002 adults conducted May 21-23 by the Princeton, New Jersey-based firm. The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

``There's a growing public consensus that the war has gone poorly, and Kerry needs to capitalize on it; he really hasn't yet,'' said Greg Valliere, chief political strategist for Schwab Soundview Capital Markets in Washington. ``It may be a gamble for Kerry to focus so intensely on Iraq in upcoming days, but it's a gamble he needs to take.''

Swing State

Former Vice President Al Gore won Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes in the 2000 election by 5,708 votes or 0.22 percent. Wisconsin, one of 17 swing states that were won or lost by less than 7 percent in the 2000 election, has lost 26,400 jobs since Bush took office. The state's unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in April, down from 5.1 percent in March and below the national average of 5.6 percent.

A recent poll of the Midwestern state showed Kerry holding an 8 percentage point advantage over Bush. A Rasmussen Reports survey of 500 likely voters on April 28 showed Kerry with 50 percent to Bush's 42 percent. If Independent Ralph Nader's candidacy is taken into account, Kerry's lead is cut in half to 45 percent to Bush's 41 percent with 8 percent for Nader. The poll had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

Breakfast Meeting

Kerry is expected to hold a breakfast meeting with Wisconsin veterans before he delivers his speech.

Sergeant Susan Sonnheim, who worked with the military police in Baghdad and plans to attend the breakfast, said in a telephone interview that she intends to vote for Kerry, even though Bush has ``done a lot.'' Sonnheim, 45, is back in Wisconsin after she lost vision in her left eye and sustained injuries to her legs and hearing when a bomb exploded near her in Baghdad.

Sonnheim, who is from Franklin, Wisconsin and is the first female soldier in the history of her state's National Guard to receive a Purple Heart, said body armor saved her life. Kerry has criticized Bush for not adequately supplying U.S. soldiers in Iraq with body armor and other protective gear. He has introduced legislation in Congress to reimburse families who bought their own body armor for soldiers deployed abroad.

Bush has said U.S. troops in Iraq are sufficiently outfitted and that his administration meets all requests as they come in.

``When I returned home from Vietnam, I joined my fellow veterans in vowing never to abandon any veterans of America's wars, and my commitment to veterans and members of our military has never wavered and never will,'' Kerry said. Kerry served two tours in Vietnam, earning three Purple Hearts for wounds and Silver and Bronze Stars for valor.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jay Newton-Small in Green Bay, Wisconsin at jnewtonsmall@Bloomberg.net

Last Updated: May 28, 2004 03:48 EDT