[pabianice]

Don't know Allard's politics or qualifications.

[Sherman Logan]

We will deal with this crisis by refusing to use the Army, for fear it might get scratched.

No chance, with the present Congress, that we will provide the resouces for the armed forces to meet their obligations.

[P-40]

After consuming the peace dividend

There was never a peace dividend....just a cost shift.

[Al Gator]

Let's see, the Army was suppose to implode in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006...

Still waiting, waiting, waiting for said implosion.....

[darkwing104]

SOSDD...This story/opinion get rehashed year after year by some REMF. Nothing new.

[Leisler]

"82nd Airborne Division, "the so-called ready brigade is no longer so ready" to fight. Its soldiers are untrained, and its equipment is elsewhere.

The 82nd is light infantry. They don't have much equipment. Pretty much if they show up standing, they're there.

Untrained? Ah, like since most of them, and especially the NCO's and officers have gone from a peace time shine your jump boots everyday to actual war fighting, they are untrained? I...don't...think...so.

Not ready to fight? If I was this puke writer, I wouldn't yell that in a Fayetteville saloon if I was him.

This article is leftist boob bait.

[tcrlaf]

This is, like, "breaking point" number 37, isn't it??

We've been told that the Army was "nearing the breaking point" since the sandstorm during the initial invasion!!!

[struwwelpeter]

I don't know if I can speak for every unit, but in my reserves unit, everytime they talk about mobilizing people, they get so many volunteers that the soldiers looking forward to mob end up getting bumped.

We've got guys that keep extending and have been reserve/active for three years straight. Lots of people in our unit with over 20 - have their "20 year letters" for retirement already in their hands, and they're staying until mandatory removal date (age 60). I've got 32 years myself, and they'll have to shoot me to get me out.

I wonder what unit the retired O-6 who wrote this drivel drills with. Or is he just a "20-years-me-me-me-take-the-money-and-run" kind of patriot?

Some see "broken", others see "work to do, hoo-ah".

[SevenMinusOne]

This article is full of so much BS and half-truths it is laughable (not to mention his "nameless highranking source").

The U.S. Armed Services are more ready, more battle tested, more trained and ready to wage war the anytime in the last 40 years.

The misleading stats about "deserters" is such garbage. That statistic is nothing but white noise. People quit all sorts of jobs...(including the military...surprise, surprise). They are doing it no more often today...then ever before.

Bringing up the 82nd is no longer currently taking on the DRF status means squat (other then this guy has no clue what he is talking about). Of course some of the 101st is going to take on the DRF role while the majority of the 82nd combat arms are working OCONUS.

I could go on....but don't have the time currently....But those suggesting our military is near any breaking point are absurd and lying (or spinning for various reasons).

Do we need more soldiers. Yes.

[jwparkerjr]

Several years ago it was decided by many fire departments to start responding an engine company on rescue calls to provide the third set of hands sometimes necessary with serious injuries. It also meant a faster response time on many calls. Sounded good and everything seemed to go along just fine but then the law of unintended consequences raised its ugly head. Big, expensive pieces of fire fighting apparatus were wearing out way more quickly than in the past. Fire trucks costing a quarter of a million dollars or more each, that in the past had simply disappeared from their station afters few runs but daily, relentless polishings from their crews were suddenly wearing out. Turns out these behemoths were never designed for the multiple runs day after day, 365 days a year. That's what happens when, no matter the good intentions, you start using a piece of equipment designed for a very specific task for an unrelated task. And that's were our armed forces are today. They were never designed for the kind of PC they have been forced to fight in Iraq, etc. As a result they, like those big shiny fire engines are wearing out long before their time.

I was a strong supporter of the invasion of Iraq. In fact, you would have to look long and hard to find anyone more ready for that action to be taken than I was. But my eagerness to rid of Saddam was based on the belief, now shown to be mistaken, that we would do the way it should be done.

My feeling now is that if we aren't going to do this thing the right way then it's indeed time to bring our troops home. I think we are moving in the right direction with 'The Surge' but the recent full court press by the MSM/Lefties to aide and abet the enemy is taking its toll on that effort. It's not even well underway yet and it's been declared a failure by the war's opponents.

If the Army is indeed nearing the breaking point the fastest way to fix is to let them do what they are trained and to and what they joined the armed services to do.

[leadpenny]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080356/

MSNBC military analysts and experts

Updated: 2:24 p.m. ET Feb 23, 2007
Scroll below to read the biographies MSNBCs military analysts and experts.

COL. KEN ALLARD

Ken Allard is a well-known commentator on international security issues. His military career as an operational intelligence officer included service on the faculty of the U.S. Military Academy as special assistant to the Army Chief of Staff and as dean of students at the National War College. In 1996, he served on special assignment with the U.S. 1st Armored Division in Bosnia. A noted author and lecturer, Allard’s many publications include two books: “Somalia Operations: Lessons Learned” and “Command, Control and the Common Defense,” which won the 1991 National Security Book Award. Allard holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and an M.P.A. from Harvard University.

WILLIAM ARKIN

GEN. WAYNE DOWNING

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA

Lt Col Rick Francona

DANIEL GOURE

COL. JACK JACOBS

GEN. BARRY MCCAFFREY

GEN. MONTGOMERY MEIGS

GEN. NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF

Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf


© 2007 MSNBC Interactive

[taxcontrol]

I have LONG contended that the Army needs 6 to 8 more combat brigades and the Marines 3 or 4 ... just to cope with the current rotation schedule in Iraq.

If we are going to take on Iran as well, we had better double the entire military.

In war, there are three thing that you are always short of, men, ammo and enemy dead.

[happygrl]

The Army must provide 33 brigades — each consisting of about 3,500 soldiers — to meet requirements from Iraq and Afghanistan to Korea and Germany

There's the problem.

Time to let the Koreans and the Europeans to ante up and protect themselves

[MalachiFourSix]

I work at an Army post and this article is NOT TRUTH. I am not a military but everything I see is not what this article indicates.

It had to be politically motivated at a time where our president is going through an attack from internal foes, for power pleasure, while we are fighting foes from without.

It is a disgrace what this liberals are doing to this country.....

We must bind together to defeat them in 08, 010!!

[leadpenny]

ping

[ArtyFO]

I think in general he is right. Our services are too small. Our Navy is only 270 ships now. It used to be 600 ships. They are closing bases right and left. We are not even ready to close the Mexican border with what we have. God help us if North Korea or China attacks. We can only respond with nukes. This reminds me of the period after WWI when our forces went down to almost nothing. Shinseki was right about Iraq. Rumsfeld killed the Army as much as anyone.

[TChris]

...yet the blame for these problems will never, ever be laid at the feet of BJ Clinton, master eviscerator of our military.

Gee, I wonder why more people don't want to volunteer for a force that's likely to be brutally downsized the next time a Democrat sits in the White House. Maybe there are those who love their country enough that they expect a level of appreciation from elected leaders for their service and sacrifice.

[DesScorp]

"...just in time for our upcoming war with Iran."

That sums up his position clearly. Folks, we've got another Wesley Clark on our hands...

[MaxMax]

This time it's Clintons fault.

[Swiss]

Using this guys logic and reasoning the US Army of 1938 was in hell of a better shape than the broken US Army of 1945.