Army Chief: Commitments Needed to Keep Army Ready

American Forces Press Service ^ | Donna Miles

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2006 – Today's Army is the best the U.S. has ever sent into combat, and initiatives under way will ensure it remains that way, the Army chief of staff said in a statement released last night.

Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker said he's confident that efforts from the Army and Defense Department staffs, in Congress and the White House will ensure the Army is equipped and financed to face “the many challenges that lie ahead during these dangerous times.” Schoomaker, who came out of retirement to accept the Army's top military job, disputed recent public statements criticizing Army readiness.

“The Army has been at war for close to five years now and I am extremely proud of all of our soldiers, civilians, and families,” he wrote. “We have asked a lot of them, from repetitive combat tours, to transforming the Army, to expanding our training base, to resetting our combat equipment.

“Simply put, this is the finest Army this nation has ever put into combat,” Schoomaker said. “Our soldiers' collective efforts have been magnificent.”

What's needed now is a commitment that ensures the force remains prepared for the future, he said.

Schoomaker cited his June 27 testimony before the House Armed Services Committee and reiterated four key requirements needed to maintain Army readiness:

 

• Timely passage of the National Defense Authorization Bill;
• Growth of the Army's base budget;
• Supplementary funding of $17.1 billion to repair, replace and refurbish Army equipment in fiscal 2007; and
• An additional $12-13 billion a year for two to three years following hostilities to repair and replace worn Army equipment, particularly if current operational tempos continue.

“To prevail in the long struggle (in which) we are now engaged, we must maintain our readiness by resetting those who have deployed through a disciplined, orderly reconstitution of combat power,” Schoomaker said in his June testimony. “Our soldiers' effectiveness depends upon a national commitment to recruit, train, equip and support them properly.”

The high demand of fighting the war on terror has put a major strain on Army equipment, Schoomaker told the committee, pointing to harsh operating environments in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Iraq, crews are driving tanks more than 4,000 miles per year, five times more than the expected annual usage of 800 miles, he said. Army helicopters are experiencing usage rates about three times higher than the programmed rate, and trucks are operating five to six times their programmed rate.

“This extreme wear is further exacerbated by the addition of heavy armor kits and other force protection initiatives,” he said. “The compounding effect of increasing tempo and severe operating conditions in combat is decreasing the life of our equipment.”

[SandRat]

BE PREPARED!!!

[KantianBurke]

"Today's Army is the best the U.S. has ever sent into combat"

Judging from the explosion of incidents relating to gang activity, alleged criminal behavior of soldiers in Iraq, pretty low class recruiting tactics and eve more worrisome a relaxing of Army standards, one takes such sentiments with a grain of salt.

[hsalaw]

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but seeing as how the military is a slice of our society as a whole, and comparing the incidents of "bad acts" you complain about in the military with the number of similar "bad acts" in our society as a whole, I think the military is certainly as good as, if not better than, we are. And I'd suggest you take some of the reports you're relying on "with a grain of salt," too. Please note I'm not trying to pick a fight; I'm merely pointing out that our military is a reflection of us; we're not perfect and faultless people and neither are they, but I've no doubt they are the best we've ever sent into combat.

[xzins]

Judging from the explosion of incidents relating to gang activity, alleged criminal behavior of soldiers in Iraq, pretty low class recruiting tactics and eve more worrisome a relaxing of Army standards, one takes such sentiments with a grain of salt.

That is a statement amazingly ignorant of the facts. The gang story has been proven wrong. The most recent case decided about soldiers in IRaq again found the soldier innocent, and the recruiting if ahead of pace for this year and all recent years with the exception of 2005 in the Army only. There is no relaxation of standards in the Army....these are the most combat ready troops that this nation has had since WWII & Vietnam. If all stories about troop criminality in Iraq were true, and they aren't, we're still talking about less than 20 people. I'm amazed that anyone could draw an inference from these yet-to-be-tried cases that the Army is less than outstanding.

[KantianBurke]

"gang story has been proven wrong."

Links please. Here's mine testifying as to the veracity of the problem:

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-gangs01.html

"The most recent case decided about soldiers in Iraq again found the soldier innocent"

And there are many investigations that are still ongoing; some with culprits being most likely guilty. These sorts of events aren't supposed to pop up under the "best force ever." See link here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1669663/posts

"the recruiting if ahead of pace for this year and all recent years with the exception of 2005 in the Army only."

ROTFLMAO! The reason for that uptick is that disqualifiers such as criminal convictions, horrendous ASVAB scores, gang activity, excessive tattoos and a half a dozen other prohibitors are now okey dokey. See links here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1232092/posts

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/07/11/MNG03JT3ER1.DTL

"There is no relaxation of standards in the Army"

Ummm yes there is. For example take this excerpt:

"To allow more recruits to join, the Army last fall amended its rule that it can sign up no more than 2 percent of recruits who score between 15 and 30 out of 99 on the Army's aptitude test. Now, up to 4 percent of Army recruits can score under 30 on the aptitude test." To get a score that low you literally have to be borderline retarded. Yeah, this Army is just fine - rolls eyes. See link here:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-07-12-army-training_x.htm?csp=34

[centurion316]

Leave KantianBurke alone. He obviously knows what he's talking about - he surfs the internet and reads stories written by journalists. No need to listen to a real soldier like GEN Schoomaker - Nope, I'm going to look to KantinBurke for all my military analysis from now on.

[xzins]

Yep, Schoomaker is an old tough, Delta Force realist....just the type to put a happy face on everything he touches.

I'll get around to looking up links, but I'm tied up with other stuff at the moment.

Then you and me and Kant can consider the real Army that's currently in the field....although some of us just kant handle the truth.

[KantianBurke]

anytime ur able and willing to provide links or supporting evidence for your position or disproving mine I'll be more than happy to hear them. Take ur time there fella.

[hsalaw]

ur

Is that Ur in Mesopotamia, home of the Chaldeans?