Posted on 07/07/2004 11:48:23 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is taxing its Reserve soldiers "nearly to the breaking point" with repeated and extended deployments in its two ongoing wars, the ranking Democrat on the House military panel said Wednesday.
And the committee's Republican chairman said recent moves to find more combat soldiers for Iraq -- including the use of troops who normally train others -- could "mortgage the future" of the nation's military.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
You mean to make up for the cutting the military IN HALF during the Clinton days...
Got this from a fellow FReeper quite some time ago. Here is what klintoon cut....
709,000 regular (active duty) personnel.
293,000 reserve troops.
Eight standing army divisions.
20 Air Force and Navy air wings with 2,000 combat aircraft and 232 strategic bombers.
19 strategic ballistic missile submarines with 3,114 nuclear warheads on 232 missiles.
500 ICBMs with 1,950 warheads.
Four Aircraft Carriers and 121 surface combat ships and submarines plus all the support bases, shipyars and logistical assets needed to sustain such a Naval force.
>>>Got this from a fellow FReeper quite some time ago. Here is what klintoon cut....
Just wondering if you have numbers on Bush administration's attempts to reverse those numbers. Have the number of active duty pesonnel and reserves increased since he took office?
>> if you have numbers on Bush administration's attempts to reverse those numbers <<
I sure don't. Wouldn't even know where to begin to look. Seeing as how we're at war (whether people realize it or not), I would think those numbers would be guarded.
The stop-gap measures invoked by the Army indicate to me that the numbers of forces haven't increased, but this is mere speculation on my part.
Not to mention that by the end of clinton's reign of terror the Navy had TWO, count 'em, TWO fleet oilers in the ENTIRE NAVY.
The reason that the Cole got blown up was that it was in Yemen to refuel. That ship and crew should have NEVER been put in that position! When I was in the Navy we refueled AT SEA, and AT NIGHT. We had THREE fleet oilers for JUST ONE TASK FORCE. We only refueled in port if it was either our port, or the port of a very friendly ally.
We didn't even refuel in Mazatlan, Mexico. We met an oiler well offshore.
A coworker who is an aviator in the reserves got his orders over last weekend. He's seen action at least once or twice in the past, but he was hoping to become a full time civilian again. Looks like they'll have him for another two years, though.
Wouldn't these hacks have been wonderful to have in Congress in 1944? Headlines like "Normandy Landing May Be Under Manned-Invasion in Doubt".
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