Free Republic

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno revealed this week that just two Army brigades are combat-ready, with budget cuts hampering the military's ability to train its own troops. The startling comments were made Monday at the Association of the U.S. Army conference. Odierno and Army Secretary John McHugh both addressed the fallout from the budget cuts, as well as the recent partial government shutdown, and appealed to lawmakers to restore some stability to military funding. "Functioning like this is just dysfunctional," Odierno said. He said that after the sequester kicked in, "we had to stop training basically" in the...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec. 11, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he wants to send two combat brigades to Afghanistan by summer in addition to the brigade combat team already scheduled to deploy there in January. In an interview with reporters traveling with him, Gates discussed the way forward in Afghanistan before landing here with plans to visit troops and meet with senior leaders. The secretary will meet today with Army Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, and with commanders in the country’s southern region. Commanders on the ground...