Posted on 02/22/2005 6:54:33 AM PST by Kitten Festival
The debate continues about US troop strength and its impact on the ability of our forces to conduct sustained combat operations in the War on Terror. Recently, The Weekly Standard published a bi-partisan Open Letter to the majority and minority leaders of both houses of Congress. The letter urges the Congressional leaders to enact legislation to increase the size of the US Army and the US Marine Corps by 25,000 per year over a period of “several years.” The letter is signed by an impressive group of retired military leaders, military historians and analysts, and former members of the civilian defense establishment.
Overall, I agree with the need to increase our active duty strength, and stated as much in April of last year. A decade-long process enacted by an entrenched military and civilian bureaucracy has gotten us into this mess. Guard and Reserve units were structured around Cold War needs and have not been reconfigured for the realities of the War on Terror. Local economic interests and political considerations too often interfere and delay any meaningful change to our military forces. Witness the recent flap over women in combat in the new Units of Action about to be deployed to Iraq. Reflecting the Commander-in-Chief’s public backing of the current law, we were assured by the Army that they would abide by the legislative restriction on women in direct ground combat - for the time being…sort of…maybe.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
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