Oct. 06, 2006 - 20:25 MDT

WORTH SERIOUS CONSIDERATION

Being an armchair expert, a veteran of the corporate BS output for years, I look at the news with a jaundiced eye, especially if it is coming from the mouths of this administration. On October 4, 2006 Dick Foster of the Rocky Mountain News had an article in that days edition that seems to me to be detailing the truth. Quoted in full here:

GENERAL: U.S. ARMY IN DANGER

Equipment, manpower shortages put the nation in 'strategic peril,' he says

COLORADO SPRINGS -- "The Iraq war has left the U.S. military in critical condition, stretched beyond its limits in manpower and equimment and in danger of "breaking," retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey said Tuesday."

"The United States Army is stumbling toward the edge of a cliff. It's starting to unravel," McCaffrey told the Rocky Mountain News, prior to addressing the Homeland Defense Symposium at the Broadmoor Hotel."

"It has $61 billion in equipment shortages. It has a $50 billion shortfall in the vital equipment and parts you need to run a war," said the former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Southern Command. "I hope there's new thinking and new debate because the course we're on now won't sustain us for the next 24 months."

"The 14 Army brigades now deployed in Iraq have their full complement of troops and extremely competent leadership," said McCaffrey, "but the other two-thirds of the Army's combat brigades are not ready to fight."

"That's because many brigades leave their equipment in Iraq for their replacements when they return home and are rapidly depleting of manpower as returning soldiers complete their service and leave," McCaffrey said. "any new emergency," he said, "such as heightened tensions in Korea or Taiwan, a domestic terrorism attack or natural disaster, could push the Army beyond its limits."

"If the other shoe drops, we are breaking the U.S. Army," he said."

"McCaffrey said the Army has been fighting "on a World War II footing" since 9/11, exhausting its capacity."

"I think it's irresponsible. I think we put the nation in the position of strategic peril," he said."

"Col. Lee Packnett, a Pentagon spokesman, declined to discuss the specifics of McCaffrey's statements Tuesday, but said, "that is the opinion of a retired general officer, and he is not speaking for the Army."

"But the Army's own chief of staff, Gen. Peter Schoomaker, refused to submit a reqired 2008 budget plan in August to protest what he considered inadequate funding proposed by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the Los Angeles Times reported last month."

"Money for eqipment and operations is not the only dangerous deficit for the Army, McCaffrey said. Manpower standards are falling in order to meet enlistment quotas, he said, citing the Army's own announcements."

"As a result, he said, the enlistment age has been raised to 42, more recruits are being accepted from the lowest category of aptitude scores, and more morals waivers are being granted for recruits with arrest records."

"McCaffrey assailed both the Bush administration and Congress for failing to mobilize the country to support its military."

"But McCaffrey also cautioned that leaving Iraq or Afghanistan in the midst of turmoil would unleash civil war and instability.

He urged major new efforts to rebuild both countries' economies and initiate diplomatic efforts with neighboring countries to achieve stability."

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I cannot vouch for his figures, I don't doubt them though. But it has been apparent to me that too many men, too much money, materiel and too much time along with that have been sent over to Afghanistan and Iraq. We have National Guard people who have been kept over seas way over the time they were supposed to have spent.

It seems logical to me that once a soldier has served his time, there is no way he will re-enlist to go back once again especially to Iraq. A case where if he tries a doctor should examine his head and if he okays it, the doc's head should also be examined. Not funny I know, but put yourself in the soldiers position, would you go back to a land where every street you traverse you are apt to be blown into smithereens, are under attack one way or another all too frequently. Would you re-enlist to go back to that ? I also doubt that many people are signing up with the National Guard any more either.

Thing that bothers me, will we do the same thing in this situation that we did in Viet Nam ?

This whole situation needs diligent cogitation and iron bound decisions on what should be done and what manner we should use.

I am sure of one thing, we could use our men, money, materiel and time for much better use than we are using them now. Think our Gulf Coast and other disaster areas such as floods and emergencies here in our country and all like that. These matters are WORTH SERIOUS CONSIDERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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