Posted on 06/03/2004 8:49:13 AM PDT by areafiftyone
Speaking at the Truman Library, Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry detailed his plan to make America stronger by modernizing the world’s most powerful military to meet today’s threats. Kerry also announced a Senior Military Advisory Group of prominent retired admirals and general officers who are advising his campaign on defense and national security issues. “I am honored to have such a distinguished group of experienced military leaders and professionals working with me on the vital security challenges facing our nation,” said Kerry. (The full list is below.)
Kerry has said his national security policy will be guided by four imperatives: building and leading new alliances; modernizing the military; deploying all that is in America’s arsenal – the power of our economy, our diplomacy, our intelligence capabilities and our values and ideas; and freeing America from its dangerous dependence on Mideast oil.
“Today, in the post 9-11 world, we stand at another historic crossroad, at another moment when the old enemy is gone but we face a new threat,” Kerry said today. “We must change if we are to meet and defeat the danger. We must rebuild our military and prepare it for the risks and tasks of a new era.”
Citing a military that is overextended and troops that are overburdened, Kerry presented his plan to transform the world’s most powerful military to better address the modern threats of terrorism and proliferation, while ensuring that we have enough properly trained and equipped troops to meet our enduring strategic and regional missions. Kerry will: (1) expand our active duty forces, (2) double America’s Special Forces capability and increase other specialized personnel, (3) complete the process of technological transformation, and (4) redirect the National Guard for homeland security.
Despite all its talk of transforming our military, the Bush administration has done far too little to adapt our forces to the new missions they have to undertake. In Iraq, our National Guard and Reserves have been called up at historic levels. On the battlefield, many of our troops lack the latest equipment and technology, which can mean the difference between life and death. Just yesterday, the Administration issued “stop loss” orders, meaning additional burdens on thousands of soldiers because our military is stretched too thin.
“This has happened on the backs of the men and women who’ve already fulfilled their obligation to the armed forces and to our country – and it runs counter to the traditions of an all-volunteer military. Because they’re serving one tour after another, our soldiers are not getting the training they need or the rest they deserve,” Kerry said. “Military families are under incredible strain as it becomes harder and harder to balance the demands of family life and military duty. This is especially true at a time when more than half of our military is married – a dramatic increase since Vietnam. When you add it up, we are in danger of creating another hollow Army – a grave concern that I’ve heard time and again over the last few months from active duty personnel.”
To address the issues of readiness and an overextended military, Kerry called for:
40,000 Additional Active Duty Soldiers. The additional soldiers are not to increase troop levels in Iraq, but to relieve the current overstretch and to prevent and prepare for other possible conflicts. Eighty percent of the Army’s active duty combat divisions are either currently in Iraq, preparing to go, or have recently returned. Stressing that this situation has jeopardized our security, Kerry said additional troops will help alleviate the strain on our overburdened military.
A Doubling of Our Special Forces Capability. In Afghanistan and Iraq, Special Forces have proven that they are essential to winning the war on terror. Kerry’s increase in their capability will improve our ability to conduct counter-terrorism operations, perform reconnaissance missions and gather intelligence.
Modern Equipment and Technology for Our Troops. Kerry pledged to ensure our military has the most modern equipment and technology, saying we cannot have a 21st century military unless we are using 21st century technology. Kerry will arm every soldier with state-of-the-art equipment, whether it is body armor, weapons or the latest communications tools. He will accelerate the development of non-lethal technologies that can incapacitate the enemy without risking the lives of innocent bystanders, and create new counter-proliferation units that specialize in finding and destroying the most dangerous weapons before they can be used against us. He will also ensure that our troops have the training and the professional military education necessary to employ these technologies.
Transforming the National Guard. Kerry outlined his plan to make America safer by making better use of the National Guard for homeland security. Many Guard members are now serving abroad, away from their posts as first responders. Kerry will assign Guard units to a standing joint task force that will prepare and execute homeland security strategies with state and federal governments.
“Just as it was in the time of Harry Truman, and in all the years of the Cold War, the job of commander in chief is now central to the presidency,” Kerry said. “As President, I will use military force to protect our interests anywhere in the world, whenever necessary. But strong leadership demands more than the willingness to use force. It means directing the use of the right tools at the right time for the right purpose and the right cause. Only then will we be strong and respected around the world.”
Kerry, honoring our veterans and the men and women serving today, said “As President, I will always remember that America’s security begins and ends with the soldier, sailor, airman and Marine – with every man and every woman in our armed services standing a post somewhere in the world. Today, we salute each and every one of them for their commitment, strength, and extraordinary courage – especially those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They, like all veterans of wars past, deserve our prayers and then, when they come home, the respect and support of a grateful nation. After all, the first definition of patriotism is to keep faith with those who have worn the uniform of the United States.”
Below is the list of retired senior military flag officers who are advising John Kerry: Admiral William Crowe (USN, Ret.)
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General John Shalikashvili (USA, Ret.)
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Tony McPeak (USAF, Ret.)
Former US Air Force Chief of Staff
Admiral Stansfield Turner, (USN, Ret.)
Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
General Joseph Hoar (USMC, Ret)
Former Commander-in-Chief, US Central Command
General Wesley Clark (USA, Ret.)
Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe
General Johnnie Wilson, (USA, Ret.)
Former Commander, US Army Material Command
LTG Daniel Christman (USA, Ret.)
Former Superintendent US Military Academy
LTG General Kennedy (USA, Ret.)
Former Deputy Army Chief of Staff for Intelligence
Vice Admiral Lee Gunn (USN, Ret.)
Former Inspector General, US Navy
Major General Harry Jenkins (USMC, Ret.)
Former Chief Legislative Liaison US Marine Corps
Was that the crybaby general who whined about being sexualy harassed?
Is that Claudia Kennedy? LOL. She couldn't advise a duck how to swim.
Yes it is. She recently endorsed Kerry BIG TIME.
All names which remind me of mediocrity.
Shalikashvili, Clinton's man who destroyed the army.
Stansfield Turner, Carter's man who destroyed the CIA
Crowe, who tried to tear down the Navy.
Where the hell's the other idiot Zinni.
Let's see what we got so far:
Rummy's revamp plan.
The Bush Doctrine dressed up in camoflage as the "Kerry Doctrine".
Some wishfull thinking about "alliances".
And the same ol' cast of characters who will not put any of this into operation.
I'll stand pat...
Trust me, you don't create a group of retired generals and admirals to come up with ideas on how to modernize the military. When they were active duty, they were the very leaders who maintained the status quo.
Never mind Claudia Kennedy...
Stansfield Turner is the one that has ME concenred. Turner gutten CIA's HUMINT resources - well, the ones the Church Committee didn't get. If Turner is advising Kerry, that's SERIOUS - and a lot more so than a crybaby.
Turner's all over TV today, slamming Tenet and Bush.
Looks like a job interview to me.
Every day Kerry does something that is politically inept. This is today's example.
There is no one on this list that can't be torn apart based solely on their own comments over the past twenty years.
And yeah, Turner is the one that scares the hell out of me as well.
btw, I think Zinni just demonstrated that while he's partisan as hell, he's not stupid......
McPeak was and is still currently regarded as a buffoon by the Air Force. Stands to reason he'd be on Kerry's list of military advisors.
So9
Didn't he get cashiered as Air Force Commander in Desert Sheild for running his mouth off?
Most of this particular group where the ones who helped tear it down, usually under DemocRat adminstrations, or with DemocRat "sponsers" in Congress.
This is how this works. ALL of these boys and girls...are on someone's payroll (Lockheed-Martin, SAIC, Mantech, etc)...and they will simply state what their company needs to make a huge profit. None of these people ever modernized anything while in uniform...nor can they claim that. But their retired status is all that Kerry needs now. He is hoping that some GI's may see his approval by these dimwits...and plus up his points amongst today's military. Most of us had very poor ratings (AF dimwit: McPeak, was one of the biggest losers of the last 20 years, and most organizations were happy to see him go).
There was an AF general who got in trouble for phonying up a check ride. Was that McPeak?
Read between the lines here folks! Stansfield Turner is out trolling for support...bet me he's in the running as Kerry's first SecDef....
El Gato wrote: "Most of this particular group where the ones who helped tear it down."
I agree. Much as I'd like to think generals are selected solely for their military skills and knowledge, politics seems to be (or, during the Clinton era, seemed to be) a primary factor. These guys weren't promoted for bucking the system, and many of them did indeed oversee Clinton's deconstruction of the military. The military that is winning in Iraq is the military that survived Clinton, not the military that Clinton built.
LOL!! Retired Military men advising on modernizing the military. Laughable!
And those proposals!! ROFLMAO! A laundry list of things that Kerry would absolutely vote against as Senator....as he has all other military funding proposals.
What a joke. Amost funnier than Blue Collar Comedy Tour!
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