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Rumsfeld Blasts Top Brass
ny daily news ^ | 3.29.2 | RICHARD SISK

Posted on 03/29/2002 10:27:59 AM PST by Pancho13

Rumsfeld Blasts Top Brass General, admiral had complained publicly

By RICHARD SISK Daily News Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ripped two four-star officers yesterday for saying U.S. service members were tired and running out of a key weapon in the war on terror.

Rumsfeld also announced the death of a Navy SEAL, who stepped on a land mine near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

In a rare public rebuke for the top brass, Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, used a televised Pentagon briefing to criticize Army Gen. William Kernan and Adm. Robert Natter, commander of the Atlantic Fleet.

Rumsfeld said Kernan, chief of the Joint Forces Command, was out of line for telling a House panel two weeks ago that the troops were tired because "we are busier than we have ever been."

Rumsfeld said the 1.4 million men and women on active duty don't "begin to fit that characterization."

Natter came under fire for saying the Navy had run short of joint direct attack munitions, or J-DAMs, and had to borrow some of the satellite-guided bombs from the Air Force.

"We damn near ran out in Afghanistan," Natter said three weeks ago.

"The inventory is not depleted," said Myers, who then got into trouble himself. "Even my wife understood this one."

That drew oohs from the media crowd.

"You're in trouble everywhere now," Rumsfeld said in mock horror. "When you say, 'even my wife' — even I know better than to say that."

Myers sheepishly sought to recover by saying, "Mary Jo, turn off the TV."

Uncertainty Persists

After giving an overview of the war, which they said showed steady progress, Rumsfeld and Myers bristled at questions about the troops' readiness.

But concern is widespread at the Pentagon that U.S. forces may be overextended by worldwide commitments.

Top Pentagon officials also have acknowledged that they are pressing manufacturers to churn out more J-DAMs.

Retired Rear Adm. Eugene Carroll said the rebuke of two top officers was highly unusual.

"Reprimands are usually done in private for going off the reservation," he said.

In other developments:

Chief Petty Officer Matthew Bourgeois, 35, a Navy SEAL from Tallahassee, Fla., was killed when he stepped on a land mine during a training exercise near Kandahar. Another serviceman, who was not identified, was wounded in the blast but was expected to recover. Pakistani police arrested more than 30 Islamic militants, including some alleged members of Al Qaeda, in raids in the cities of Lahore and Faisalbad in Punjab province. One suspect was killed and four wounded in shootouts during the raids, the Interior Ministry said.

Original Publication Date: 3/29/02


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; rumsfeld
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To: Pancho13
But concern is widespread at the Pentagon that U.S. forces may be overextended by worldwide commitments.

The most telling sentence of the article. One does have to consider that Secretary Rumsfeld has proposed further reductions in certain areas of the military that would add to the the military's "per person" workload. Op Tempo/Pers Tempo are too high right now. Do you think they will get any better in the future? I don't. I know of both Officers and Enlisted folks who have had enough of the TDYs and are not re-enlisting in the Guard/Reserve, even when offered much. It will get worse before it gets better.

121 posted on 03/29/2002 3:17:21 PM PST by Fury
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To: Pancho13
This time of the year (budget season), I will take anything with a grain of salt. Having said that, we are deployed in too many places. If Bush has any courage, he would pull out our troops from Bosnia and Japan, and deploy them elsewhere. But, then again, that takes balls.
122 posted on 03/29/2002 3:19:40 PM PST by Satadru
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To: Pancho13
If an officer has a problem, he should address it to the chain of command. He shouldn't go griping to the media about it (unless the chain has blown it off and he feels strongly enough to put his job in jeopardy).
123 posted on 03/29/2002 3:32:27 PM PST by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
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To: Satadru
If Bush has any courage, he would pull out our troops from Bosnia and Japan, and deploy them elsewhere. But, then again, that takes balls.

Not just there, but many other places, remnants/continuations from clinton's nation-building. Hell, we probably still have troops in Haiti.

I'm sure that wherever Sally Struthers has done her latest "feed the children" ads, there are American troops right there.

124 posted on 03/29/2002 4:27:17 PM PST by texlok
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To: veryconernedamerican
yep... stay safe this weekend. celebrate resurrection PRIVATELY. Eat out at off hours. Avoid large religious gatherings.
125 posted on 03/29/2002 4:41:49 PM PST by Robert_Paulson2
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To: Freedom'sWorthIt; fogarty; Grut; Madame Dufarge; max 61
I served under Kernan. He is the best we have. Frankly, I wish it were him in command of CENTCOM right now. I'd jump into a pool of gasoline with a lit match in my teeth for him. Don't get wrapped up around when he was appointed.
126 posted on 03/29/2002 4:43:31 PM PST by A Simple Soldier
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To: Pancho13
the bend in its attempt to stifle any honest examination of their conduct? What do y'all think?

I think you assume MUCH!

127 posted on 03/29/2002 4:46:02 PM PST by Mahone
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To: clintonh8r
I assume you wear (or have worn) a green or blue suit and have got the war all figured out? I assume you have the experience in combat old Buck has? I assume you know he was almost canned years ago for speaking the truth about using the Rangers in Desert Storm? I served under Kernan. He is a warrior unlike some others who wear 3 and 4 stars. I guess telling the truth only counts for something when Democrats are in office. Thank God we serve the Constitution to which we swear our oath to and not individuals.
128 posted on 03/29/2002 5:03:19 PM PST by A Simple Soldier
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To: Robert_Paulson2
Yeah, I guess telling the truth in their professional judgement is a crime worthy of demotion and retirement. Only yes men need apply. Oh, that was only a crime under the Clinton regime. No way a Republican administration would in any way obscure or muddle the truth.

Read "Dereliction of Duty" by HR McMaster before you call for these guys heads.

129 posted on 03/29/2002 5:10:12 PM PST by A Simple Soldier
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To: Madame Dufarge
Madame, good detective work. So they were Clintonite press hounds. They obviously don't know how to keep their mouths shut.
130 posted on 03/29/2002 5:34:47 PM PST by pray4liberty
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To: Pancho13
Pancho...there is a chain of command in the Military. That's why!
131 posted on 03/29/2002 6:34:06 PM PST by joyce11111
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To: Madame Dufarge
Thank you for that information.
132 posted on 03/29/2002 7:13:51 PM PST by Freedom'sWorthIt
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To: Eagle74
After years of having flag officers say everything was okay in the 90's when the military was dying on the vine, this is a relief. As far as being tired, that is one of those things we will have to accept. It is a war, after all. If the Pres. said we were going to destroy country X tomorrow the military would pony up. It is a totally different story when it comes to munitions. If the operational commander for the Atlantic Fleet says he needs more JDAM, he is probably telling the truth. If Rumsfeld doesn't like what they said he should send some yes men to Congress.
133 posted on 03/29/2002 8:43:43 PM PST by USNBandit
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To: Pancho13
Why is it so wrong for these top officers, responsible for the lives of so many to tell the truth as they see it to Congress?

Because you don't want to tempt the bad guys to push harder by saying that you are low on ammo. It'd be a lot wiser if they could say something like, "We almost ran low on ammo, but we talked in private with some key people in Congress who made sure that we got what we needed."

It's wrong when the truth can get more people killed.

134 posted on 03/29/2002 10:48:00 PM PST by powderhorn
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