To suggest the army was about broken, shows he thinks we're all stupd...OR HE IS STUPID.
If he had suggested that many members were uncomfortable with the rotation/schedule because it caused difficulties with their home life would have been an ACCURATE statement.
There is one part of this overall problem that has not been addressed: We are not replinishing the hardware at the same rate we're using it up...especially considering the lead-time for some of it. I'm mostly concerned about aircraft. Jeeps and trucks are easy to come by...and we're not using artillery and tanks much at all.
We ARE wearing out fighters, tankers, cargo, helo and all other air assets. It takes a long time to get 'em built so we should have that underway. The problem is cost...we can't build 2,000 F-22s. We CAN build 300 F-22's, 1,500 F35's and another 1,500 F-16s. That's right, F-16's with all the latest/greatest avionics and engines. They're cheap...and they're VERY EFFECTIVE once you've established air dominance with the other assets.
Hell, we could probably use another 100 B-52s...or modern equivalent on a 747 airframe.
We ARE wearing out fighters, tankers, cargo, helo and all other air assets. It takes a long time to get 'em built so we should have that underway. The problem is cost...Are they really being "worn out"? What's the lifetime on these things? Aren't there B52's still flying after decades?
I'm not saying you're wrong. We definitely should be building more planes. But are the ones we're using in Iraq really "wearing out" as fast as you imply?
Actually we use tanks quite a bit more than people think. When I was in Iraq, there were 2 tanks attached to each company I worked with. G-damn goldbricking treadheads, but man were they fun to watch in action. Course, don’t let them lead the convoy or they’ll try to go offroading and blow a track. Artards.
Moving right along, I saw a documentary on History Channel about a logistics base here stateside. They had a HUGH backorder of Abrams. There were probably well over 100 tanks waiting to be repaired. I’m not talking about busting a little rust. I’m talking full-on gut the thing out and wire brush every inch style repairs. Cracked hulls, broken turrets, etc.