Posted on 09/24/2006 8:42:41 PM PDT by jmc1969
Note that he's been backed up by the Presidentially appointed civilian Secretary of the Army.
I second that. I had the pleasure to conduct a briefing for him once, when he came to our forward deployed location. He's a razor sharp, no nonsense, straight shooting guy, and can spot BS ten clicks out. He's exactly the kind of person you'd hope would be the Army Chief of Staff.
Rummy's got balls, and there's a lot to be said for that. But as far as knowing what the Army needs, you'd be a fool to bet on anyone but Gen Schoomaker.
It's the classic "dropping a half million dollar missile on a tent worth less than a McDonalds Happy Meal" problem. Our super high tech versus super low tech warfighting style is unbelievably expensive.
It throws the normal supply system out of whack. It throws all of our systems out of whack, and there's no money to fix it until it becomes mission critical to do so. Now, we're out of 'mission critical fix it funds' as well, so General Schoomaker has to take a stand. I'm glad he is, because the costs of this war are going to come back and bite us in the rear if we don't address them soon.
Experts See Lower Threat From al-Qaida ~ (So we must be doing good in Iraq....RIGHT?)
So the Army has done the job....what's the money for? /sarcasm.....
Cut the crap. There is so much fraud, waste, and abuse in the military. I like Schoomaker, but damn.
How about instead of whining about not enough money, we spend less time, money, and effort on erecting desert paradises at our FOBs in Iraq?
How about we force units to only use funds for mission-essential things? Ever look through a GSA catalog at all of the idiotic crap that you can order class II or IX (mugs, posters, super-expensive stylish sunglasses, etc)?
Perhaps provide incentives for units to have a surplus at the end of the year that they could roll over into the next fiscal year, rather than dreaming up plans on how to spend every last dime?
Cut out awards (reducing tons of manhours, paperwork, and associated costs) and substitute them with ideals like selfless service.
Use CSS units for CSS function OR contract it out. CHOOSE ONE OR THE OTHER. Otherwise, you get what we have today: the CSS unit spends its days playing basketball and the contractor is nowhere to be found.
Put in place some kind of accountability for the tens of millions of dollars that we dump into purchases and contracts for Iraqi Army installations and equipment.
Reduce the number of field grade officers, general officers, and sergeants major in theater by 50%.
Respectfully, post #2 is "kill the messenger."
"The difference this year is the Army has said that if a raise in the ceiling isn't going to be considered, they won't even play the game."
Added the senior Army official: "If you're Rob Portman advising the president of the United States and duking it out with the [secretary of Defense], it's a pretty sporting little event."
Pretty heady stuff.
Re Intelligence budgets. It would seem as though the creation of the DNI would produce some savings somewhere along the way. But, bureaucracy building seems to have been the trend since 9-11. Drive by Bolling AFB on I-295 and take a look at the size of the building being completed there.
We need to start charging the Iraqi government the cost of providing security in their own country. It would provide an incentive for them to get their internal security forces up and running. Right now, they have no incentive.
Please don't include me with you and whatever it is you have in your pocket.
"The answer to free speech is more free speech."
No government agency, whether military or civilian, has ever failed to predict disaster if their budgetary requests are not fulfilled by Congress to the last penny. It is SOP to inflate the request (and justify that request with dire warnings) so that, after the axe falls, you get what you really need. This process has the added benefit of providing an automatic CYA in case something goes wrong. It's just the way governments work.
So what are the 160,000 troops in Afganistan and Iraq doing? Thinking up new ideas?
I believe the men who have to carry out the orders of the President and his appointed Defense Secretary.
"So what are the 160,000 troops in Afganistan and Iraq doing? Thinking up new ideas?"
Bump for a great line.
Cry?
But his strategy stinks.
If the objective is to shrink the Army, of course he is tactically correct.
After the Army shrinks,where is he going to get the forces to occupy Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia?
People who want to win the war.
Tradition is so hard to deal with. From what I can tell, however, the Division has been made all but obsolete. Now, if the Army could do away with branches.
Looking back, the "Black Beret War" almost seems silly now.
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