Support grows for beefing up U.S. forces - Some see situations where volunteers may not be enough

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 4/4/5 | Edward Epstein

[SmithL]

Rep. Ellen Tauscher says Bush administration policies could very well break our military.

[CzarNicky]

If I recall correctly we had a military almost double the size of the current one in the 1980's. Why don't we just do what we did then?

[Brilliant]

These lefties can't get over the fact that we are winning this war, and we're doing it without following their advice.

[Right Cal Gal]

God, and this jacksass woman is my Congressperson.
I may barf.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

How many thousand troops do we have in South Korea, Japan, Germany ?

[nj26]

"The military draft, which coughed up its last conscript in 1973, could make a comeback if recruiting doesn't pick up and if America's commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan turn into long-term occupations or if the Bush administration's tough-minded foreign policy means military action in places like Iran or North Korea."

A military draft (after Bush promised it wouldn't happen in 2004) will put Hillary in the Oval Office.

There's no faster way to lose the "red state soccer mom" vote than drafting their 18yo sons.

[2banana]

Two Questions:

1. Not a word of blame on the Clinton 50% reduction in our military

2. The experienced combat warfighters are getting $200,000 - $300,000 per year to do the same job in Iraq by private contractors (Blackwater, Triple Canopy, etc.). Maybe we need to rethink the value of the warfighter...

[Mr. Jeeves]

God, and this jacksass woman is my Congressperson.

Mine, too...though in my case, she's an impovement over the one I had before: the ghastly nitwit Lynne Woolsey. ;)

[Texas_Jarhead]

If we only had the 9 divisions that were eliminated under the Klintoon administration.

[SmithL]

I miss Bill Baker.

[Little Pig]

If they increased the pay for soldiers, they won't have a problem with recruiting. Heck, if the pay were better, my wife might not object so strongly to me going back in. The bennies and retirement plan used to be pretty good.

[cooper72]

Bring back the draft. I support that! :)

[AntiGuv]

I knew they must have a problem when an officer tried to convince me to reenlist a couple weeks ago. LOL

[cloud8]

> How many thousand troops do we have in South Korea, Japan, Germany ?

How many in Bosnia?

[Balding_Eagle]

The draft is going to be started in June this year.

At least that's what the Panel on Military Preparedness over at the DUmmie site were warning everyone just a month or two ago. See my tagline.

[ran15]

We have no problem paying connected unionists well over 100k a year.. and the endless numbers of government bureaucrats even much more then that..

Yet suddenly when it comes to paying the troops fighting on the frontlines, there is no money available.

If we paid 1 million active duty combat troops aka marines and army.. each 150k a year. That would cost 150 billion dollars.

Our federal budget this year was 2.6 trillion.. yet there is no money there for them?!

[quadrant]

Just be happy that you're not represented by Cynthia McKinney.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Probably more than we have in the Philippines.

[kingu]

Still have yet to see any reports of units undermanned, and I'm sure the MSM would be very quick to make those reports live on MSNBC, CNN and the front pages of the NY Times. There would be a special report on 60 (lost) Minutes about how x company is ten men short.

Training companies are bouncing people out left and right; I know of at least two Army boot classes that ended with less than 50% graduating. I'd think that the first place you'd find examples of undermanned units would be there - they'd do anything to graduate them on through boot.

But, of course, a draft is what the Democrats want.. Something to make political hay out of, video of soldiers who don't want to go, of civilians burning their draft cards, of people fleeing the nation. They desperately want to turn everything into Vietnam.

I have never seen a group of people work harder and longer towards failure than they have.

[MajorTom56]

IMO, we should have a mandatory term of service (minimum 2 years) immediately after high school graduation or age 18 for those who can't seem to get through school. Training and
regimentation would force them to see the "real world" before going onto college or work. There they could discover that they have the aptitude/attitude to become
professional soldiers (or not). I know that at age 18 I had no direction and found myself volunteering for active duty in the Army. It changed my direction and it changed my life.