We have 1.4 million active duty soldiers plus 1.2 million in the reserves. Only 150,000 of them are doing useful work in Iraq. Put a cork in it.
The way to get along in the millitary is to go along. Schoonmaker's testimony was courageous. His troops are being called back to serve their third and in a few cases, fourth, combat tours in Iraq. Enough is enough.
The vast majority of those soldiers, particularly those in the Reservers, are Combat Support and Combat Service Support soldiers. We need more COMBAT brigades, 3 or 4 minimum, to take the load of the combat arms soldiers that are bearing the brunt. We've already realigned artillery and MP soldiers to perform the grunt's work and it's still not enough. It would be foolish to dip any further into CS and CSS units for these soldiers and missions.
And then consider our future requirements that may soon exist outside Iraq?
Actually, the size of the active U.S. Army is around 500k, with roughly the same amount in the Reserves and ARNG. Since much of that structure is combat support or combat service support, the actual amount of troops we have doing 'useful work' is very low, and they tend to get stuck with the lion's share of it.
1.4 million active duty servicemembers, plus 1.2 million reservists.
From globalsecurity.org:
US Army: 512,400 active, 148,442 mobilized guard/reserve, and 350,000 drilling guard/reserve.
Navy: 365,900 active, 6,508 reservists mobilized, no Navy National Guard.
Marines: 178,000 active, 9,717 mobilized reservists, no Marine Corps National Guard.
Air Force: 359,300 active (with plans to reduce that by 12,000 by 2009), 45,585 reservists / NG activated, 106,800 drilling guard/reserve.
The Army and the Marines clearly do the bulk of the heavy lifting in Iraq. So, you have about 848,000 soldiers and Marines available. At a 50-50 tooth to tail ratio (not bad, historically speaking), that gives you approximately 424,000 soldiers. 150,000 are in Iraq at any given time. So, at any time, you have 150k that just returned, 150k that are ready to go, and 150k that are in Iraq - thus adding up to 450,000... 26,000 more than are actually available to do such work.
Add in the fact that 50% of the US Army's combat power is in the National Guard, and you've got yourself a serious troop shortage.
You missed the 1 up two back need. That gets you to 450,000. It also doesn't count the troops in Afghanistan, or the folks in Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Diego Garcia and on ships in the Gulf and Indian ocean in direct support of those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Plus a contingent in Djibouti, arguably the armpit of the world. Keeping an eyeball on that secondary snake pit of Islamic terrorist vipers. Plus you've got all sort of folks who are in less direct support, but still in support, stateside. (B-2 and B-52 missions have been mounted direct from the US for example, and lots of folks are flying C-17s, C-5s, KC-10s and KC-135s to and from wherever.).
Then there are the other required missions, such as the Navy and Air Force folks babysitting our nuclear retaliatory forces, just to keep the ChiComs, Soviets and even Little Kim honest, or at least afraid. Then you've got the general "overhead" of trainers, trainees and R&D, types, which include some active duty uniformed folks.
If only 1% of Islamics are Jihadies, that's still 5 million Jihadies. Enough of the others, wittingly or not, provide their support forces. The Russians, Chinese, Syrians and Iranians provide much of the rest, directly or indirectly.