Romney ad touts plan to expand military

Wants 100,000 more troops, 4 percent of GDP for military spending

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updated 8:34 a.m. ET May 9, 2007

BOSTON - Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is touting his proposal to expand U.S. military power in the latest commercial aimed at boosting his name identification.

"This isn't the time for us to shrink from conservative principles. It's a time for us to stand in strength," he says in the new ad, which was to begin airing Wednesday.

The spot features slides of the former Massachusetts governor appearing with troops and addressing a conservative political conference.

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"America must remain the world's military superpower," Romney adds. "If we lock our arms together, we can forge the political will to rebuild our military might."

The candidate has proposed expanding the military by 100,000 troops and committing 4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product to military spending.

Romney began his wave of national advertising on April 25, airing commercials on national cable networks at a cost of some $2 million. Most of them will run on Fox News, a strategic effort by the Romney camp to reach conservative voters.

Romney also renewed an ad campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire. The new spot will air before both the local and national audiences.

The former governor raised $21 million during the first quarter and began the second quarter with nearly $12 million in the bank, the most among the Republican candidates.

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