Posted on 01/05/2005 3:48:14 PM PST by TADSLOS
WASHINGTON - The Army Reserve, a force of some 200,000 part-time soldiers who provide key support in Iraq and Afghanistan with medics, engineers and truck drivers, "is rapidly degenerating into a 'broken' force," its top general has told senior Army leaders.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
Sometimes you bite the Bear, sometimes the Bear bites you.
May be time to draft young men into the reserves.
It's a good thing for this General to call it as he sees it.
If there are things that can be improved or things that aren't working lets hear it. I am glad we are discovering and working out these problems now. We can learn what works and what doesn't, what the limits are and what needs to be changed. All for the long term betterment of the force.
Better to honestly evaluate and confront the problems, than to have things break and disappoint when you really need it most.
I believe that what the general in charge of the reserve forces is trying to say, the full-time military should be taking up some of the long-term chores, as the same reservists are being run back into the theater of war time after time, and this is taking its toll on recruitment and retention. A reservist will grant that his country needs him (or her), but being sent back again and again, while others seem rarely or never to be called, is seen as assuming an unfair burden by some. Of course, the others, that do not see foreign service, may be just such a bunch of Camp Swampy types (you know, Beetle Bailey's duty station) that it may not be in ANYBODY'S best interests that they serve anywhere near active combat.
Also the military needs to start accepting older soldiers with prior experience for non-combat jobs that free up able-bodied soldiers. If they want to help they should be allowed to.
God bless our troops wherever they may be.
cc Abu Musab Zarqawi
cc Osama Bin Laden
That would be stupid, and it's not what we need.
I agree. Soldiers in Europe at this time serve no purpose other than to support the local economy!
I always thought a draft to fill the Reserves was a good idea. States could do the same for Guard units as well.
Why? This article isn't about reservists complaining, it's a General saying the reserves is broken. 99% of the Reserve force knows exactly what their papers say and accept it gladly, a few want to wriggle away when called up. Your comment slights a bunch of people who have served and are still serving.
Yep. God forbid anybody tell Rummy the truth, huh?
Actually, any variety of draft has the effect of filling the reserves/NG. People tend to flock to the Reserves/Guard when there's a national draft.
A General saying the reserves are broken means that soldiers getting their discharge are not turning around and signing up for the reserves. Which means that we don't want slackers anyway.
I don't think they can afford to ignore Helmly. He seems to be firmly grounded in the military experience, having started as an enlisted soldier, and gone through considerable formal education in military matters as well. It's defeatist to always look on the dark side, but ignoring a real, serious problem will lead to defeat even more surely.
http://www4.army.mil/USAR/leadership/helmly.php
"Lieutenant General James R. Helmly was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for promotion to lieutenant general and appointment as the Chief, Army Reserve, March 21, 2002. He took command of the U.S. Army Reserve Command on May 3, 2002, and became the Chief, Army Reserve, on May 25, 2002. His promotion to three star rank was effective on May 25, 2002.
"Lieutenant General Helmly, a Vietnam combat veteran, was most recently assigned as the Commanding General of the 78th Division (Training Support), headquartered in Edison, NJ.
"He served as the Deputy Chief, Army Reserve, Washington, DC, from June 1995 to June 1999. From June 1999 to August 1999, he served as the commander of the joint task force conducting Operation PROVIDE REFUGE at Fort Dix, NJ. Until taking command of the 78th Division in May 2001, he was the Military Assistant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs (Individual Mobilization Augmentee), Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC, from October 1999 to May 2001.
"Lieutenant General Helmly entered the Army as an enlisted soldier in 1966 and received his commission through Officer Candidate School in 1967.
"He served on Active Duty from 1966 to 1973 in a variety of company- and battalion-level assignments, to include two tours in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division and command of an infantry company in Panama.
"As an Army Reserve Soldier, Lieutenant General Helmly has held logistics and operations positions in the 87th Maneuver Area Command and the 81st Army Reserve Command (ARCOM). He commanded the 352nd Maintenance Battalion in Macon, GA, and the 449th Area Support Group in Forest Park, GA. He was also the Deputy Chief of Staff for Training and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel of the 81st ARCOM.
"His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College. He has a bachelor's degree in liberal studies from the State University of New York in Albany.
"Among his numerous awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star with Valor Device and three Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with silver Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Army Staff Identification Badge and Ranger Tab. He was inducted into the Infantry Hall of Fame in 1996.
"At the time of his selection, in his civilian occupation, Lieutenant General Helmly was serving as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at the Total Army Personnel Command, Alexandria, VA. Prior to becoming the Deputy Chief, Army Reserve, in 1995, he was a civilian supervisory program analyst at Headquarters, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, GA. He has twice been awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal."
The real issue is that the Army hasn't decided on the proper role and usage of the Guard/Reserve force. The Guard/Reserves are *clearly* not the 3rd stringers they were twenty years ago. The Army has more than 50% of its total combat power into the National Guard. Problem is, the Guard doesn't have the infrastructure to deal with repeated long term deployments. ESGR aside, employer backlash against Guardsmen/reservists is real. Post-deployment divorce rates in Guard units are astronomical. The Army is going to have to figure out a solution, *fast.*
Since President Bush explicitly promised there would be no draft, it will hurt his agenda if he reverses on it. I think people might remember his father's vehement promise not to raise taxes followed by his doing just that.
If we add Syria and/or Iran to the "Occupied" list there will be a draft.
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