Comments on: Top General: Army Near Breaking Point

Chief Of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker Says Army 'Will Break' Without Thousands More Troops

[frankly6]

janish

"Clinton's famous government cuts hit the military HARD"

Reality check:

The cuts in the military size and strength were instituted under Bush senior.

Clinton left office 7 years ago.

We mobilised, trained, equiped and entire military and then defeated two much more formidable enemies on multiple fronts in less time than we've now been in Iraq. In four years Bush and co. have managed to desimate our fighting forces through total incompetence, mismanagement, and misuse.

Step away from the koolaid sir.

[randalds]

"at this pace...we will break the active component." Kind of hard to mis-understand that. Yet Janish and notblue seemed to have managed to do it. Amazing!

[randalds]

Behind every successful officer is a Noncom shaking his head in disbelief!

[randalds]

Disrespect of officers? All I said about them in previous threads is that they couldn't find their as*ses with both hands without the help of their noncoms. And every good officer and Sgt. knows it's true. ;-)

[frankly6]

notblue

You clearly didn't read the article above. I guess by "liberal hogwash" you mean the advice and warnings of our militaries top generals.

[janish64]

HAH - so randalids is suddenly respecting the words of an officer? Now that is funny, considering his obvious DISRESPECT for them in previous threads! LOL

Too bad he doesn't seem to grasp Schoomaker's points, though.

[janish64]

To those of you complaining that we are "in a hole" in Iraq - if your boots are not full of Iraqi sand, I think you at LEAST owe a little respect to the officers and enlisted who are insisting otherwise in MOST parts of Iraq.

Furthermore, if you were really able to READ this story rather than instantly make the SAME TIRED CLAIMS (yeah yeah..Bush Lied, People Died...ad nauseam) you would learn that these comments were made to the a commission studying overall requirements for the military. These discussions are held before the BRAC all the time, especially since the cold war. Clinton's famous government cuts hit the military HARD, turning many enlisted to reservists. It was predicted we would suffer a fallout from this shift, and we have. The global war on terror changed the dynamics. We have highly skilled troops, we are not picking kids out of corn fields and sending them do fight, we need time, training, and funding. In a budget the size of our US Defense's that takes a long time. Anyone familiar with budget talks knows you start large and desperate.

Most of you KNOW this - but are you really incapable of discussing the issues any deeper than "Bush Sux"? If not, I really do worry about our future.

I do suggest the Iraq critics try reading some news in Iraq, to see how a new country is forming, warts and all, with the help, and braver of our soldiers and allies, and the bravery of their own citizens.
http://www.alsabaah.com/paper.php?source=akbar&page=37

[randalds]

Notblue. So you are saying that the Generals, including the Army Chief of Staff, are saying the army is stretched too thin are saying it on ideological grounds? What possible grounds would they be? Yes we have many troops in uniform, but most of them are not combat troops. The vast majority of them are support troops with little combat weapons or tactical training, so they are hardly the type you could throw at the insurgents. besides, even if we put every person we have in uniform into Iraq it would only quiet the insurgency down for a while and we'd have to maintain a huge presence there for generations and in the end, it'd still have a civil war.

[notblue]

There are some truths that are being ignored in regards to the U.S. military. First, there are over 4 million active service members in the U.S. military and saying we are running out or stretched to thin is more liberal hogwash. The U.S. military will rise to any threat now and in the future with whatever response is necessary. Our country has the most proffessional, best trained, best equiped, most intelligent soldiers in the modern world. Anybody that says otherwise are deceiving based on ideological agenda.

[observantx]

Thanks Rummy. Thanks for not understanding anything about control the field after the battle. Thanks for not having enough troops to control the country and stop0 the looting after the silly %u201CMission Accomplished%u201D photo op. Thanks for disbanding the Iraqi Army and effectively turning them into fodder for the insurgents. We could really thank you if you just go away and shut the h*ll up.

If we need to build up forces to regain control of the situation in Iraq, we need Colin Powell back in charge. Throw in Tommy Franks, Norman Schwarskopf and Anthony Zinni too. Guys who know that it%u2019s not fancy weapon systems, but always boots on the ground that insures victory. Take all the Pentagon flacks who are running the show now and show them the door. They are politicians now, not soldiers.

Continuing to call up reserves early and extend tours in country has reached the point of diminishing returns. This makes a draft more likely than at any point since Vietnam. Once the average young male in this nation is up on the block for a vacation in sunny Iraq, the call for Clueless Leader to pull his head out of his posterior should reach a sufficient volume to make him drop the bumper sticker slogans and actually let Gates and the real soldiers wrap this up. If we keep on as we are, we%u2019re screwed.

[grazinggoat]

Nice things to read in this link to Army Internal regulations

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/law/2003/0415bell.htm

A suite affiliated to the United Nations in New York, NY...

[getcentered]

It's hard for me to believe that there could be a political solution to the HUGE problem we've cause in Iraq.

We should add as many troops as possible.
Pull out to the peripherals and guard the borders of the country. This is so we can control all that enters the country. Cut off all weapon supplies to the enemy, and let what supplies the enemy has get used up in their civil war. We can police the cities that actually want us there, this way our troops are not just big targets, but actual peace force.

THEN, impeach the most cursory president in US history for getting us in Iraq in the first place!!!!!!! WHAT an F-ING mess our leaders in the Executive Branch are!!!

I would love to have opportunity to SLAP GW. HARD!

[grazinggoat]

Thanks PixelSlinger
People Saddam Hussein is accused of killing: 242,000, span of time - 29 years.

Iraqi casualties since US invasion: 636,000+
US Military casualties: 3115
Span of time - 3.75 years

There is a reason ethicists from both sides of the aisle are looking at this very critically now. The numbers don't lie: Iraqi's were far better off with Saddam.

U.S. Army%u2019s Field Manual 27-10: %u201CThe authority of the legitimate power having in fact passed into the hands of the occupant, the latter shall take all the measures in his power to restore, and ensure, as far as possible, public order and safety%u2026.%u201D Thus, although there have been assertions that the coalition forces are not police, in fact occupation law imposes policing responsibilities on them during an occupation.

There is a clear lax form the Army regarding this aspect, and it's chief Walking-Liar must be accountable for this lax.
Impeach Walking-Liar Bush and let the army prosecute him. If not, let the United Nations hold him for accountable and tried later on...

[drinuk]

Don't bet against subscription either, National Service both in the US and UK is a real option for Bush and Blair. Can you imagin all those British pasport holders from Pakistan being taught to fight, they would'nt know which way to face.

"Another Fine Mess You Got Us Into" starring George and Tone, sponsored by B.P, Texaco, Shell and Haliburton. Showing next week at a Institution near you.

[drinuk]

Yesterday we had McCain calling for more troops, today we have the General. It's called "Leaking"
Guess what the "Decider" will come out with in the new year and after we have been brainwashed by the leaks. Any body giving odds on 30,000 extra troops ?

[jairod]

rsoxfan1123
More money from Bush for education? Please. He messed that up right along with our national image, our economy, our civil rights; need I go on? Put the money in finding Bin Laden, and the other thugs. Never mind that the Bin Ladens are prtected by our former CIA director and President who are indebted to the Bin Ladens for their wealth. Occupy Iraq for the good of our natinal security, and extract the oil as the price that those thugs have to pay for tolerating dspotism that helped further their own skewed vision of what ever they believe. Be assured, these are not rational men who kill babies and inocent men and women, and demolish and destroy the moral fiber of a people. Their aim is total subjugation under extremism. That is what we don't want here - that includes that ultra-conservative right in the USA.

[frankly6]

jairod

It's clear we're in a hole. Should we be asking for a shovel or a ladder?

[rsoxfan1123]

jairod-and get more Americans killed for nothing? spend another $500 billion as our nations schools starve for money?

[jairod]

Let's listen to the General, but let's listen to our conscience. By pulling out we will have wasted American lives in Iraq. By pulling out we will admit defeat to the gangsters that keep killing without restraint. By pulling out we have to face the world and admit that we have no control over our own destiny let alone that of another people. We got in by some egotistcal maniacs's vision of self-rightousness and now he left us the filth of his breeding. We have to face the facts: Only an imbecile would have lead us into that god-foresaken land; but follow we did. We have to ask ourselves: will we abandon those who havee died for a mistake of their leader? If we pull out, we have to give up our leadership position in the world and admit that we are nothing but wannabees. I say: Go in there and kill the ***.

[frankly6]

If Iraq is in a CIVL WAR, as most now believe, is there really anything militarily that we can do to improve the situation?

It seems hard to Bush meeting any of his stated goals in Iraq when he has been unable or unwilling to restore basic security.