Posted on 03/19/2008 8:47:50 AM PDT by LoneStarGI
WASHINGTON, D.C. — One year ago, as President Bush decided to send more troops to Iraq, the conventional wisdom in Washington among opponents of the war was that the U.S. Army was on the verge of breaking.
In December 2006 former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell warned, "The active Army is about broken."
Ret. Gen. Barry McCaffrey, in a much-cited memo to West Point colleagues, wrote: "My bottom line is that the Army is unraveling, and if we don’t expend significant national energy to reverse that trend, sometime in the next two years we will break the Army just like we did during Vietnam."
Army Maj. Gen. Bob Scales, the former head of the Army War College, agreed. He wrote in an editorial in the Washington Times on March 30:
"If you haven't heard the news, I'm afraid your Army is broken, a victim of too many missions for too few soldiers for too long. ... Today, anecdotal evidence of collapse is all around."
But now, one year later, Scales has done an about-face. He says that he was wrong. Despite all the predictions of imminent collapse, the U.S. Army and the combat brigades have proven to be surprisingly resilient.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Thats ‘cause REAL Americans DON’T CUT N RUN! Haven’t those Idiots figured that out YET?? THey DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP either. They OWN THE NIGHT. Any questions? No? Good, sit down spanky.
Interesting to see this. This concept is one I have been trying to research recently. Is Iraq really wearing down our military. While being at war now for 5 years in Iraq and before that in Afghanistan certainly has a toll, I want to learn to what extent this has occurred. According to anti-war liberals, the Army is broken, but they are not usually the best source for this information.
They are the ones with hard experience in a tactically-challenging war, and they have less patience for the pontifications of the Vietnam generation.
Scales was a Clinton lizard who resigned from active duty the moment President Bush was elected - almost literally.
I’m sure the strain on families and loved ones is incalculable. Our troops’ courage, determination, sacrifices, and successes are the basis for our freedom and safety, and we will never forget. May God bless them and their families, and keep them safe.
I can’t speak to the personnel issue but from what I hear the equipment is getting worn down. We should expect to buy a lot of new hardware to re-equip the troops in the next few years.
Total bullcrap. Large numbers of Captains and Majors were involuntarily RIFTed. I was there.
The exact opposite.
There is now an entire generation of young officers both in active duty and in the reserves who have real, intensive and modern battlefield experience.
The expended hardware is replaceable and will be replaced.
That's not a concern.
You can buy APVs whenever you need them. You cannot buy officers who know how to lead, fight, adapt and win.
Well said.
“Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell warned, “The active Army is about broken.”
My father was in the Army and worked with Powell many times over the years. I could tell you what he thought of him but that would be rude.
“You can buy APVs whenever you need them. You cannot buy officers who know how to lead, fight, adapt and win.”
Bravo, sir!
If and only if Congress appropriates the funds necessary to do so.
What is "RIFTed"? Thanks.
There is now an entire generation of young officers both in active duty and in the reserves who have real, intensive and modern battlefield experience.
The left’s worse fear.
As a civilain, I am incredibly moved and impressed by the number of severely wounded military personnel who voluntarily fight for the right to redeply. Our rehabilitation medicine has, as is usual in wartime, seen quantum improvements over the past 6 years. However, the amputee and wheelchair athletic programs began back in the 1970s. It is still difficult work to come back from these injuries and says volumes about grit, heart and loyalty.
The American fight forces are some of the toughest, most professional soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in the world. The can take on missions around the world and be separated from their families for long periods of time. They can “make do” and still get the mission done.
But there is a price that has to be paid for long deployments. It wears down the men and equipment and both need to be rested and refitted before being returned to combat.
So I have long supported an increase in the number of combat brigades in the active Army by an additional 6 to 8 brigades. For the Marines, an additional 3 to 4 combat brigades. And this would only help to ease the rotation schedule. This would provide some downtime between deployments so the troops can spend time with their families, decompress and repair/refit their equipment back to combat status. It would also allow time for replacement troops to learn from the “old salts” and train up for the next deployment.
And if we want to take on Iran, we had better start gearing up for a MUCH higher number of combat brigades.
Reduction In Force - somehow the writer got a T in there.
Thank you.
I spent 6 months in Afghanistan working with the Army. Most are exhausted by the constant deployments. There aren’t many junior officers planning on staying in for a career. They don’t know why their lives are to be ruined for 5-10 years while most of America parties on.
Yes, we need to increase the size of the Army. Period.
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