Free Republic

I doubt he'll run but I would certainly vote for Jeb. He has been a great Governor here in Florida. While I understand the concern of people regarding a "dynasty", I will look at the individual merits of each candidate regardless of surname.

This is too bad - we are winng the GWOT in general and Iraq and Afghanistan in particular.

It may be a part of a deal with the new Dem leadership.

The "not enough troops" debate will go on for years. There were people who recommended more troops and there were people who recommended fewer troops. Someone was bound to be right. Who exactly that is has not been determined. So far we have met all of our strategic objectives more or less on the timeline anticipated before the war (at least here at CENTCOM HQ). The "more troops" camp believes that more troops would have quelled any possible insurgency sooner. Even if more troops had been a logistics possibility, that may not have been the case. The enemy had a plan that we were not privy to and stockpiled munitions throughout the country. Would more troops have convinced the Iraqi people that we really were there to occupy their land? What about troop rotations? As it is, we are able to maintain troop rotations with the 1/3 rule (1/3 forward, 1/3 refitting and 1/3 preparing to go). With more troops we would not have been able to sustain this tempo and would have been forced to send troops home.

As for the Iraqis, they are perfectly capable of embracing democracy. In many towns the Baathists running the town ran away. The citizens of the towns elected new leaders - without the UN or anyone else telling them how to do it. They understand the concept and how it works. The current deadlock in the formation of the government is little different than our Senate (still I give the Iraqis hope). They have several days to meet the timetable and even if they miss it by a week or two it won't be a big deal.

The SecDef tends to ruffle feathers but, as far as I can tell, has usually been right. He demands that people provide support for their arguments - "in my experience" doesn't count. Unfortunately, many in the military advance by making snap decisions that work out in the short run - then they leave before the full consequences can be appreciated. The SecDef tends to take the long view. The same goes for the President. Mobilizing the country for a war that will take decades doesn't mean bringing everybody to a fever pitch and then charging in. We are playing chess not football. In order to win in the long run we need to put the correct policies, procedures and strategies into place and pass them on to those who will follow us.

I work at CENTCOM HQ. The UAE has helped us out in many ways - primarily behind the scenes on classified matters. Our ports would be no more/less secure had the deal gone through. In fact, our ports are relatively secure. There are those who know that such information is classified and that we can't give specifics and take advantage of it.

First, this is all speculation since we don't know what was actually discussed. Nevertheless, it would not be hard for a senator to get a BN CDR to say the words "more" and "troops" in a conversation. GEN Abizaid visits these same people all of the time and comes back refreshed and confident when he does (he's not as refreshed when he comes back from DC).

The strategy was, is and will continue to be to train more Iraqi troops. From the earliest, we have been working on the assumption that Iraqis must take over and run their own country. We are achieving all of the strategic goals that were laid out before OIF. The strategy is working. We don't need more troops, we don't need fewer troops. We need to be persistent.

BTW all US Requests for Forces (RFFs) for Iraq come from MNFI through CENTCOM to the SECDEF. While there have been serious discussions about the need for certain forces, no major RFFs have been denied. Troops levels will spike for known events to ensure tat the effects that we desire are achieved.

A shotgun would be a good choice but, whatever weapon you chose, you need to maintain proficiency and the weapon itself. Keeping it in the crawl space does neither. In general, however, you do have the right idea - be prepared to protect yourself.

The reason that someone has to ask for the equipment is that it needs to go to someplace and someone. Just sending it to "New Orleans" doesn't get it to the people who need it. Do you send it to the EOC? The Superdome? The Mayor's office? The Fire Chief's office? Which one's are functioning? Who is responsible to receiving the equipment and getting it out to the first responders? Do you just leave it at the first fire station that you see and leave it?

When the local officials ask for it they give this information. The best thing to do is ask for it before the hurricane hits and stage it outside the expected area to be affected.

The South Koreans have about that many troops in Iraq right now. They've been there for quite a while. They are doing a very good job.

So far I have not heard any reports of this at CENTCOM HQ - then again we are sometimes the last to know. Part of the disinformation campaign the enemy is using does promote the thought that Iraqis are "ungrateful" and won't fight for Iraq. This is aimed at the American public as much as anything else. That said, there will be problems for whatever reason, on occasion with some of the Iraqi troops. Many of them have only been in the new Iraqi security forces for only a few months and aren't prepared for battle. Others, however, are fighting alongside our forces very well. The Iraqi security forces are taking the brunt of the casualties throughout Iraq but they are performing well for the most part. If you couldn't believe the media about President Bush, why would you believe them about Iraq?

One of the first things that Iraqis did on the local level was elect local leaders. They understand the democracy thing and most want it to happen on the national level. I was in an Operational Planning Team meeting today and we reviewed the goals and victory conditions set before the war. Interestingly, we are on track. The virtue of patience comes to mind.

Iraq never had a Shah.

Image made from TV of US soldiers walking down a corridor when troops entered Fallujah hospital, in Iraq, Monday, Nov. 8, 2004.

Those are Iraqi soldiers.

In any case, keep up the good work. I looked for the Canteen every day when I was in Qatar.

I recently read a classified report - the unclassified subject line states that the Iraqis had been able to duplicate the IAEA seals and remove explosives in the past. The last real check, then, was in January. Plenty of time to move HMX to Syria.

I recently read a classified report - the unclassified subject line states that the Iraqis had been able to duplicate the IAEA seals and remove explosives in the past. The last real check, then, was in January. Plenty of time to move HMX to Syria.

I am a reservist on active duty. I voluntarily extended for a second year that is up in early February. I am contemplating on extending for another six months but I will wait until after the election. If Kerry is elected we will lose many first term enlistees (they won't reenlist) and people who are near retirement (20 years) will not remain after their twenty. Most mid-career people will probably remain because they have too much invested and can hope for a change in four years.

As with most propaganda, this article has elements of truth mixed with lies and distortions. To make a long story short, we fooled the enemy in Falluja. They were goading us into attacking the city. The attack on the Blackwater guys was a set up and they wanted to inflict casualties on us. They expected us to attack and the people of Falluja would have probably resisted us as well. Allowing the people of Falluja to get to know the insurgents has changed their minds. The people of Falluja are giving us info on the locations of the enemy. I see key enemy personnel being taken out every few days. There are also growing splits between different factions of the enemy. The decision to contain Falluja also allowed the Iraqi Government to stay intact and show that it was "in charge".

The Iraqi Government is working the diplomatic side in conjunction with us. The people of Falluja and their leaders want to experience the economic rewards that the rest of Iraq has been receiving and they are tired of the insurgents holding them back. In addition, the Iraqi forces are in much better shape than they were in April/May. They are conducting effective operations throughout most of the country. They will be ready for use in Falluja.

I really did intend to make this a short post so let me close out with the "Honey Pot" theory. Falluja has attracted a lot of bad people in one place. While some of the enemy may escape, a significant portion of them will be trapped in the city.

Victory in Iraq is assured - as long as we keep moving forward as we have been. It may take longer than some would like but we are doing the job smartly.

If he is in the military (you say he is being "deployed") he will be issued body armor that works very well. Everybody that goes to Iraq is issued the latest body armor.

I am not sure if body armor that would be effective can be purchased by civilians. It is probable that even law enforcement body armor is not as effective as the current military armor.

The soldiers that they are talking about are Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) Soldiers. The IRR is a pool of reserve soldiers who do not drill on a regular basis. Many of them have been on active duty but haven't met their complete commitment time. Some are just reservists between units. They are generally meant to be individual augmentees for active duty units. I, for instance, am assigned to CENTCOM HQ (I was recalled to active duty for the Gulf War as well). The IRR system was neglected for years and only recently has an effort been made to update it. Nobody was keeping track of the people in the IRR and many people moved without providing a forwarding address - some of the no shows probably didn't get the notice. People can defer their call up and some can get out of it altogether. Sometimes the IRR can be a dumping ground for reserve soldiers who don't show up for drills in a regular reserve unit. These people may be some of those not showing up now.

As far as a draft, that may be the only way to fill the ranks if Kerry is elected. Won't be the case if President Bush is re-elected.

The soldiers that they are talking about are Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) Soldiers. The IRR is a pool of reserve soldiers who do not drill on a regular basis. Many of them have been on active duty but haven't met their complete commitment time. Some are just reservists between units. They are generally meant to be individual augmentees for active duty units. I, for instance, am assigned to CENTCOM HQ (I was recalled to active duty for the Gulf War as well). The IRR system was neglected for years and only recently has an effort been made to update it. Nobody was keeping track of the people in the IRR and many people moved without providing a forwarding address - some of the no shows probably didn't get the notice. People can defer their call up and some can get out of it altogether. Sometimes the IRR can be a dumping ground for reserve soldiers who don't show up for drills in a regular reserve unit. These people may be some of those not showing up now.

It sounds like the quote is taken from a longer interview and is out of context. What else is new.

No units are going to Iraq without weapons. No individuals are going to Iraq without weapons either. When we have people go to Iraq from Qatar they draw a weapon, ammunition and body armor.

Nearly all units going to Iraq go through Kuwait first. Any deficiencies in personal equipment are made up there.

The Stay Behind Equipment (SBE) is a hot topic in the military right now. There is also Prepositioned Equipment (Prepo) available from the Army Prepositioned Stocks (APS). At this point most of that equipment has been drawn and used and some of it returned and is being reconstituted. Most vehicles - in particular armored HMMWVs - are left behind for the new unit to fall in on. When a new unit arrives, they work with the departing unit for a week or more depending on the mission to learn the ropes.