McCaffrey: Army near 'breaking' point

Rocky Mountain News ^ | October 3 2006 | Dick Foster

[jmc1969]

The Iraq war has left the United States military in critical condition, stretched beyond its limits in manpower and equipment and in danger of "breaking," a retired U.S. Army general said here today.

"The United States Army is stumbling toward the edge of a cliff. It’s starting to unravel," said Gen. Barry McCaffrey, speaking at a homeland defense symposium.

"It has about $61 billion in equipment shortages. It has a $50 billion shortfall in the vital equipment and parts you need to run a war," said the former commander in chief of the U.S. Southern Command and former drug czar under President Bill Clinton.

The Army’s 14 brigades now deployed in Iraq have their full complement of troops with competent leadership, said McCaffrey, but "the other two-thirds of the Army’s combat brigades are not ready to fight."

McCaffrey said the Army has been fighting on "World War II footing" since 9-11, straining its capacity.

McCaffrey said the blame falls not only on the Bush Administration, but also on Congress, which has the constitutional responsibility to raise and fund the armed forces.

[Brilliant]

Wasn't it McCaffrey who claimed under Clinton that the US military could fight two major wars at once?

[Catholic Canadian]

McCaffrey said the Army has been fighting on "World War II footing" since 9-11, straining its capacity.

Ok, this statement alone tells me he's full of it. The U.S. isn't close to fighting on WW2 footing.

[Rummyfan]

Don't know whether to take the general at his word or with a healthy dose of skepticism......

[K-oneTexas]

I think he's been listening to Murtha!

[misterrob]

The current Army Chief said that his branch needs a lot more money than what has been budgeted.

[msnimje]

Amazing really. The recruitment is ahead of schedule, military spending is robust, technology continues to improve and the general thinks it is about to break?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

This suggestion alone is absurd. We are no where near the standing army of WW II and haven't been for decades.

[MNJohnnie]

Gee how many times is this nonsense going to be posted? This is like the 4th time they tried to circulate this lie.

You can read the data here. McCafferty is merely screaming what his Democrat Party Masters told him to say.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/global-deployments.htm



Funny how this broken Army made both their retention and recuritment rates for the exapanding force. Why is that General?

[RebelBanker]

McCaffery should have been relieved when the 82nd Airborne was alerted to go to Grenada and they found out 2/3 of the division's equipment was junk because nobody had bothered with maintenance.

[Txsleuth]

I think so...and he is also Sissy Chrissy Matthew's butt boy.

[kjo]

This is more of the Dem October full-press. The MSM today is full of anti-Republican rants and this is just another.

Think maybe the Defeatocrats are getting nervous?

[D-Chivas]

I thought McCaffrey was once accused by Seymour Hersh of being a war criminal for ordering an attack on retreating Iraqi Army forces in the first Gulf War in 1991.

[MikeA]

Today's installment of the Democrats' "The liberation of Iraq is the worst thing to ever happen to America and the world" daily talking point. What will tomorrow's be? The Iraq war causes AIDs? The Iraq war is directly to blame for the Amish school shooting? The Iraq war caused Mark Foley to go trolling for under-aged boys? This is just getting so old and boring. Democrats should learn the principle of overkill and how it causes people to just tune out their daily propaganda spewings.

[MNJohnnie]

It's pure BS. McCaff is merely screaming the lies his Democrat Party masters require him to say. He on the payroll. It PURE BS nonsense. Congress just sent a record $488 billion Defense budget to the President. The Military is no were near breaking.

Perhaps the General Liar here can explain why a "broken" military hit it expanded retention and recruitment quota this year?

[lormand]

Clinton war room in action.

[isthisnickcool]

In releated news, Chester O'Brian, who retired from the IBM mainframe group a few years back announced that "this Internet thing will never catch on". Former little rich kid Al Gore who was in Congress, was vice-president and ran for president was asked to comment on this but was unavailable. A Gore spokeperson said "the former vice-president was last seen spraying on new hair then running in to the woods after manbearpig".

[aynrandfreak]

This is pure treason. He is trying to demoralize the military to help pile on to the Dem's October suprises.

[crazyhorse691]

Wasn't it McCaffrey who claimed under Clinton that the US military could fight two major wars at once?

---

I believe that was from the Pentagon itself. I guess their definition of fighting is throwing spitballs while naked. The army had been made a political toy by Generals looking ahead for political jobs as payback.

[MNJohnnie]

That the most absurd statement ever. NO Military chief is EVER going to say he has enough money for his branch. To cite that as some sort of "proof" of anything is utter nonsense. Just the same old Cold War Dinosaurs and Pork Barrel politicians trying to use the War to get the American people to provide them with unlimited funding.