Comments on: Pentagon Report: Army Near Breaking Point

By: Ralph Ashby

Ralph Ashby — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 00:58:45 +0000

We need a bigger Regular Army (not counting Res and NG) and that's the simple fact. I was astounded and bitterly disappointed when Bush did not increase significantly the size of the Army post-Clinton. The "peace dividend" cuts of the 90s went too far, but Bush did nothing to fix that situation, even after 9/11. We would have had plenty of volunteers in late 2001 to increase Army size, but Rumsfeld, who fancies himself a military visionary, had other ideas. He cherishes the fantasy that lots of high-tech gadgetry can substitute for real human beings with patriotic hearts beating in their chests. What "type" of force do we need? The more units you have the more types of units you can have -- hence the most flexibility and versatility for present and potential conflicts, not to mention the diplomatic and deterrent value of a large force in readiness. I did serve in the First Gulf War, when the Powell doctrine was in place -- there's no such thing as overkill, not when American lives are at stake. Do we need a draft? I'm not so sure. Reagan was able to increase Army size in the 80s without one. It's just a matter of how DOD spends its resources. Under Rumsfeld, high-tech corporate pork rules the day. By the way, Congress should grow a spine and pass legislation making it illegal to deploy Reserve and Nat Guard overseas without a Declaration of War.

By: Herb

Herb — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 01:53:50 +0000

If I were getting to give Iran a bad time with my military, I would want the Iranians to think my military was in bad shape, then lower a boom on them that would shake them down to their toes.

Boom: Nukes of course.

The Iranians want nukes, so we should accomidate them.

By: G A PHILLIPS

G A PHILLIPS — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 17:34:29 +0000

Less men more bombs? I think we should start up the draft, it would give all the young men running the streets something to do and some money to save for there future.And don't give me none of that poor to war crap,its the way i grew up,and all my friends who went into the service ended up making something out of them selves,the one who kept running the streets kept running the streets and ended up staying poor or in prison or dead,and good many of them fight and kill any way, but for all the wrong reasons.P.S.One of my biggest regrets is not joining the service when i had the chance, wish they they would have drafted me.

By: legion

legion — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 15:27:49 +0000

Quite so, Anderson. This is _exactly_ what Gen Abrams envisioned when he rebuilt the Army after Vietnam. It's certainly arguable that he went beyond his mandate in doing so, but he set up the Guard and Reserves specifically so the US _could not_ engage in an extended overseas campaign without putting the country on a no-kidding wartime footing, which is something that Bush has staunchly refused to do (at least economically).

Bear in mind that WWII (at least for the US) lasted from Dec 41 to Aug 45 - less than 4 years. We've already got troops on their third combat rotation, and with no concrete end in sight (and the possibility of combat in Iran, Syria, or North Korea), it's no big surprise that the well we're currently tapping is running dry...

By: Anderson

Anderson — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 14:30:09 +0000

None seems to believe that Republicans are some Borg-like collective entity.

Anyway, the obvious-to-me inference from this report is that we're not invading Iran without the draft.

Which is as it should be. The Lesson We Won't Learn from this last war is the gross injustice of using our NG and Reserves to fight a war without calling on the public at large. It's as grotesque in its way as the college deferments during Vietnam, or the $200 payout during the Civil War.

Allowing presidents to fight wars at little political cost by relying on the NG/Reserves is just not a good idea. If Iraq needed invading, then the draft was entirely appropriate.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 14:16:57 +0000

I disagreed but Murtha's call for pullout -- as does Krepinevich, by the way -- but called him none of those things.

By: none

none — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 14:01:42 +0000

Hmmm, You'll listen to him but when Murtha said the exact same thing, he was called a coward, traitor and defeatist.

By: Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator

Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 12:33:05 +0000

Report: Army Near Breaking Point

Stretched by frequent troop rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Army has become a "thin gree