- Jul 25, 2002
- 10,053
- 0
- 71
L A Times
CLIP:
With the war in Iraq severely straining the military, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld this week ordered radical changes that, if adopted, would dramatically reshape the military services and the reserves to create a force that could mobilize for war within 15 days.
In a memo Wednesday to the secretaries of the Air Force, Navy, Army and to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Rumsfeld called for shifting a broad range of professional specialties from the reserves to active-duty military.
The proposal is running into opposition from senior Navy and Air Force officials, who warn that moving these jobs into the active-duty force would drive up costs. Reserve officials say they were stunned by the proposal, which they fear would shrink the role of citizen soldiers into irrelevance. Rumsfeld's office could not be reached for comment.
Calling the effort "a matter of the utmost urgency" in the memo obtained by The Times, Rumsfeld ordered that plans for carrying it out be drawn up by the end of the month.
Senior military officials who are working to respond to Rumsfeld's order expressed some concern Friday that he is not allowing enough time to produce a thoughtful plan.
"There's a very tight timeline to do it right," said one senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Rumsfeld's action was a direct result of the crisis in force strength caused by the deepening violence against U.S. forces in Iraq, sources close to him in the Pentagon said.
Before and during the war, Army officials had planned for no more than 50,000 soldiers to still be in Iraq at this point. But 148,000 are still there, and with attacks against them growingin number and sophistication, senior Pentagon officials say they expect troop numbers in the country will remain at or near the same level for years to come.
As the war on terrorism continues, more than 370,000 Army troops are deployed away from home and family in 120 countries around the world. About 138,000 are reservists, many in certain specialties that are being called up again and again. Another 67,000 reservists from the other military services are also deployed. Current and former army officials and military experts are warning, with growing urgency, that the all-volunteer military, 30 years old this month, cannot long tolerate the pressure.
"The U.S. Army in particular is at serious risk, because it's increasingly clear, and the administration increasingly acknowledges, that we're in Iraq for a long haul, with a large force, and the Army is being given most of, if not all of, the responsibility," said Brookings Institution military analyst Michael O'Hanlon.
"This volunteer military we've built up is one of the best military institutions in human history, and the Bush administration will risk destroying that accomplishment if they keep on the current path."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Now my say,
One of the failures from the 'Nam was multiple rotations through the country. After a tour and a troop was sent stateside,
there was no way of knowing how long before he or she may be rotated back for another year. Those who had 9 months
or less were given an option of extending for 6 months and getting out 3 months early, or going back to term out.
Quite a few took the out, including those who had longtime years of service. The early outs and the lack of re-enlistments
overstressed the Militarys capability to deliver fresh troops, even with the draft. As servicemen returned from a second,
third, or fourth or more deployment, fewer and fewer were re-upping, as the pay was terrible and the risk was excessive.
And this stressed the situation even more.
With the emminent return of many of our soldiers, many will get out, as they do understand that we're in a long haul - again.
We do not have a draft now, and out of todays society we have one of the smallest headcounts of active military personel we have ever seen.
Another thing that will be adding to this stress situation that we are re-entering, is we have a lot of reservists over there on active duty,
and they knew the risk accepting the guard hitch, but you can bet that there will be a drop in their re-enlistment as well.
And so goes the vicious cycle - those who come home either Active or Reserve will elect to depart service, or take the risk
of a re-deployment to the same region, or there could be a rotation through the hell-hole we left in Afganistan, or some of the
other resorts in Asia or Europe. Europe, being tamed, is a cakewalk compared to other countrys there's Asia with the Middle East
that blends from Iraq to Iran (Not a 5 star rating) into Afganistan to Pakistan (Am I seeing a pattern here ? Horsebackistan & Dahmfeekistan)
and the next thing you know you're leaving India approaching French Indochina ! Siam (Thailand) Laos, Cambodia,
and we're right back in Viet Nam ! (Come on people - follow the humor)
There is quite a risk in what appears to be about to happen - we're over stretched now, about to stretch more, and if
we stretch the pipline of manpower, the stretch might just break it.
CLIP:
With the war in Iraq severely straining the military, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld this week ordered radical changes that, if adopted, would dramatically reshape the military services and the reserves to create a force that could mobilize for war within 15 days.
In a memo Wednesday to the secretaries of the Air Force, Navy, Army and to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Rumsfeld called for shifting a broad range of professional specialties from the reserves to active-duty military.
The proposal is running into opposition from senior Navy and Air Force officials, who warn that moving these jobs into the active-duty force would drive up costs. Reserve officials say they were stunned by the proposal, which they fear would shrink the role of citizen soldiers into irrelevance. Rumsfeld's office could not be reached for comment.
Calling the effort "a matter of the utmost urgency" in the memo obtained by The Times, Rumsfeld ordered that plans for carrying it out be drawn up by the end of the month.
Senior military officials who are working to respond to Rumsfeld's order expressed some concern Friday that he is not allowing enough time to produce a thoughtful plan.
"There's a very tight timeline to do it right," said one senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Rumsfeld's action was a direct result of the crisis in force strength caused by the deepening violence against U.S. forces in Iraq, sources close to him in the Pentagon said.
Before and during the war, Army officials had planned for no more than 50,000 soldiers to still be in Iraq at this point. But 148,000 are still there, and with attacks against them growingin number and sophistication, senior Pentagon officials say they expect troop numbers in the country will remain at or near the same level for years to come.
As the war on terrorism continues, more than 370,000 Army troops are deployed away from home and family in 120 countries around the world. About 138,000 are reservists, many in certain specialties that are being called up again and again. Another 67,000 reservists from the other military services are also deployed. Current and former army officials and military experts are warning, with growing urgency, that the all-volunteer military, 30 years old this month, cannot long tolerate the pressure.
"The U.S. Army in particular is at serious risk, because it's increasingly clear, and the administration increasingly acknowledges, that we're in Iraq for a long haul, with a large force, and the Army is being given most of, if not all of, the responsibility," said Brookings Institution military analyst Michael O'Hanlon.
"This volunteer military we've built up is one of the best military institutions in human history, and the Bush administration will risk destroying that accomplishment if they keep on the current path."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Now my say,
One of the failures from the 'Nam was multiple rotations through the country. After a tour and a troop was sent stateside,
there was no way of knowing how long before he or she may be rotated back for another year. Those who had 9 months
or less were given an option of extending for 6 months and getting out 3 months early, or going back to term out.
Quite a few took the out, including those who had longtime years of service. The early outs and the lack of re-enlistments
overstressed the Militarys capability to deliver fresh troops, even with the draft. As servicemen returned from a second,
third, or fourth or more deployment, fewer and fewer were re-upping, as the pay was terrible and the risk was excessive.
And this stressed the situation even more.
With the emminent return of many of our soldiers, many will get out, as they do understand that we're in a long haul - again.
We do not have a draft now, and out of todays society we have one of the smallest headcounts of active military personel we have ever seen.
Another thing that will be adding to this stress situation that we are re-entering, is we have a lot of reservists over there on active duty,
and they knew the risk accepting the guard hitch, but you can bet that there will be a drop in their re-enlistment as well.
And so goes the vicious cycle - those who come home either Active or Reserve will elect to depart service, or take the risk
of a re-deployment to the same region, or there could be a rotation through the hell-hole we left in Afganistan, or some of the
other resorts in Asia or Europe. Europe, being tamed, is a cakewalk compared to other countrys there's Asia with the Middle East
that blends from Iraq to Iran (Not a 5 star rating) into Afganistan to Pakistan (Am I seeing a pattern here ? Horsebackistan & Dahmfeekistan)
and the next thing you know you're leaving India approaching French Indochina ! Siam (Thailand) Laos, Cambodia,
and we're right back in Viet Nam ! (Come on people - follow the humor)
There is quite a risk in what appears to be about to happen - we're over stretched now, about to stretch more, and if
we stretch the pipline of manpower, the stretch might just break it.