Letter to Congress Opposing Gutting the Military

Bloggers & Personal ^ | 26 Feb 14 | Xzins

[xzins]

Dear Congressman ________,

The proposed cuts in national defense will injure the security of the United States of America.

1. The most common enemy the USA is now fighting consists of insurgents. The only remedy for insurgency that has worked is General Petraeus' surge strategy of ground troops. It worked in Iraq and Afghanistan when consistently applied, and it's the only thing that has worked. The only way to "air power" insurgents is to bomb villages, and that will never happen. That leaves ground troops being the only answer. Cutting the Army at this time is completely irrational.

2. The national strategy of being able to fight 2 simultaneous wars is still the right strategy. There is no time in American history when engagement in one war hasn't caused another enemy to at least think of attacking because America was occupied elsewhere. History aside, it is logical for one enemy to take advantage of an opponent's distraction by another enemy. We are now of a strength to fight only one ground war at a time. The optempo of the Iraq/Afghanistan campaigns has proved that. Our troops, both active and reserve, have been "rode hard and put away wet." An army of 450,000 or less is simply not able to put the shooters on the ground that makes effective prosecution of one war a certainty.

3. The only thing that has made the Iraq/Afghanistan campaigns possible has been our National Guard and Reserve. They need an increase -- certainly not a cut...as proposed by this administration. It is utter insanity to contemplate gutting the National Guard and Reserve.

4. Once that defense money is channeled into entitlements -- and it will be -- it will never be recoverable in the US budget. That will mean that any threat at all will further balloon America's debt.

I believe experience with the military will support the 4 points above. Please reject these thoughtless cuts the way they are proposed. Work to ensure America is able to keep its enemies away from our shores and continually worried about our abilities.

[Howie66]

The fact of the matter is that we have lost control of the Federal Leviathan. We are being reduced to the “status” of serfs, to be lorded over by our Federal “Masters”.

Until such time as We The People tell Congress and Obama that “Enough Is Enough” and that we will no longer tolerate their lousy behavior, this is our reality.

Nothing is going to change, otherwise.

[Svartalfiar]

I agree that the defense budget needs to be cut. (Completely ignoring entitlements like SS and welfare.) There is quite a lot of waste, especially once you start getting into areas of RnD and procurement. That said, they are going about it completely wrong, and way too much cut in too little time.

[ricmc2175]

Who will be severely disciplined by their higher if they try it. If you have an O-3 or O-4 with that attitude, then a big maybe it will work. An E-5, not a chance.

[Jet Jaguar]

Active Duty ping.

[ConorMacNessa]

JJ and xzins - I'm on board with this and will send the letter - I may make a couple of minor revisions but I think it's a sound analysis.

What I will not impart, outside of this forum and to others I know to be sympathetic to our cause, is my belief that things are unfolding precisely as Obama, his minions and his handlers intend. They gut our Military at the same time they militarize DHS and other agencies for purposes that I think are all too apparent.

And no, I don't expect him to turn power over on 20 January 2017.

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

O stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians that we lie here, obedient to their command.

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)