Marine Head: More Troops May Be Needed

Gen. James Conway Says Troop Shortage May Affect Training, Put Undue Stress On Corps

(AP)  The Marine Corps may need to increase in size to sustain deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan without sacrificing needed training or putting undue stress on the corps, the new Marine commandant said Wednesday.

At a breakfast meeting with reporters, Gen. James Conway also warned that it could take years to adequately train and equip the Iraqi security forces — longer, perhaps, “than the timeline that we probably feel ... our country will support.”

“This is tough work, it doesn't happen overnight,” and patience by the American people will be needed, he said. On the plus side, he said Marines he's talked to in recent days are encouraged by the progress they are seeing among Iraqi forces.

Conway said the current pace of Marine rotations to Iraq — seven months there and seven-to-nine months at home — is limiting other types of training that units can receive and could eventually prompt Marines to leave the service.

“There is stress on the individual Marines that is increasing, and there is stress on the institution to do what we are required to do, pretty much by law, for the nation,” said Conway.

The goal, he said, is for units to spend twice the amount of time at home as is spent on deployment — for example seven months deployed and 14 months at home.

At the same time, Conway would not rule out extending the Iraq tours for some Marine units if needed for a short period of time. Several Army units have been extended for several months, but the Marines have done that only rarely and for weeks rather than months.

Conway, who took on the Marines' top job just eight days ago, said there are two ways to deal with the ongoing stress on the Marines: “One is reducing the requirement, the other is potentially growing the force for what we call the long war.”

The Bush administration is finalizing the budget for fiscal 2008, which starts next Oct. 1, and the armed services are hoping to receive increased funding to carry on the fighting. Conway said he could not say how much the Marines would be seeking.

There are currently about 180,000 active duty Marines. Just last week, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East said about 2,200 more of them were headed to Iraq's volatile western Anbar province in a short-term effort to shore up U.S. combat power there.

The commander, Gen. John Abizaid, also told Congress last week that the Army and Marine Corps are not big enough to sustain a substantial increase in Iraq, although he said adding 20,000 troops for a short period was possible.

Conway said that if a decision is made to increase the number of Marines in Iraq — currently about 23,000 of the 141,000 U.S. troops there — he has enough around the globe to respond. But he warned that there could be long-term repercussions.

“The payback is you can't maintain that surge. And it's probably going to have an adverse impact” on the ability to provide ready troops in the future, he said.

Increasing the size of the Marine Corps, he added, could only be by 1,000-2,000 troops per year over an extended time. And if the size is increased to meet the needs of war, Conway said there would have to be a plan for reducing the numbers when the war is over. He said the current 180,000 level is the right size for peacetime.

The Marines are also drawing up plans to send some reserve combat battalions back to Iraq for return tours as a way of relieving the strain on the active duty forces. If that is done, it would be the first time such Marine units would be returned to the war.

[gramto7]

We don't need to spend trillions of dollars and give thousands of lives to FIX Bush's mistake of invading Iraq.

Just leave.
Posted by george2221

Duhbya didn't make a mistake, he did it intentionally! He planned this from day one or perhaps before he was given the presidency by the Supremem Court. Long before 9-11 and the destruction and death that came that morning, he was already plotting how he was going to get his dirty paws into Iraq.

[grumpas]

What would happen if I did my next door neighbor in (murdered) because he looked like he might someday be a threat to my existance? I would be in jail for murder that's what! Pure and simple no question about it! It was the same kind of misguided thinking that got us into a war with Iraq! You can't out guess who is going to be a threat to you several years from now! Why the American people have bought into this load of *** is unbelievable! I can remember the day when it looked like the Soviet Union (Russia) was going to be the death of us! Look what happened to them! If I hadn't saw it happening I wouldn't have believed it was possible! So, the US needs to start doing some readjusting of thinking! We can't cure the problems of this world! We can't make friends by forcing regime changes upon smaller nations! Nations have as much right to their style of government as we do, even if we don't agree with it! In short, we need a serious policy change here at home! Keep our long noses out of everyone elses business until it become's necessary!

[retiredmilty]

Being a Retied Military member, and now working for the US Military as a civilian, I can tell you what others don't want you to hear. The US Army moral is almost at rock bottom. Why? 14 month tours in Iraq ( with extenstions) and only 6 to 9 months at home station, then redeployments back to Iraq. How long do people think this can go on beore the number of military leaving the service exceeds the number coming in?? Military spouces are pressuring their service embers to get out. We need a larger military . .or we need to retreat back to our own boarders. I remember when they started downsizing ( or raping ) the military, those in the know were saying it's " Pay me now or pay me later" . . . looks like later is here, and it wil COST BIG $$$$ to fix this, in both MEN and Material. Thank You King Geoege and the Republican Congress !

[kcstan11]

*** Cheney is in Iraq today to visit the troops for Thanksgiving. I think that he should find Paul Wolfowicz and they should go for a strool outside the Bagdad green zone, so both of them can have "flowers thrown at their feet", to accept the gratitude of the Iraqs' and the 3000 dead U. S. troops. Goodbye *** and Paul. Now that would really make my Thanksgiving.

[j-whitman]

Let's see now,, 7 Billion per month taken away from our military's modernization, 37 Billion not funded for our military's equipment repair, 470 Billion left for democrats in unfinished spending bills including War Funding, Veterans Funding, School Lunch Programs, traning cut for our military,, on and on it goes -- Does anyone really believe republicans are good for our military ???

[agnim]

How about bringing home the sheep from the Iraqi slaughter, or send bush's daughters and the rest of the bush clan to make up for the shortfall in manpower for HIS personal war.

Oh, and we shouldn't forget send along d!ke Cheney and the rest of that f@g family.
We won't ask; and they don't need to tell. LOL

[einsteinian2]

Be they Reps or Dems, they will always end up listening to the generals on the field. That is why when Casey says "no timeline" everyone will listen. It is taboo to criticize the military, especially the soldiers. So the newly elected dems who brag about being able to change the situation in Iraq had better know better: If you don't listen to the generals, the civilians will be on your back accusing you of "insulting the troops" or bringing down the morale. I'm a dem. I wish the COULD change things, but the reality is they probably won't.

[macusweil]

Fact is with George Bush as commander and chief of the US military has been like watching a 16 year old kids with a learners permit try to handle an Indie car during time trials. The results-- he%u2019s wreck the car, blown the tires and the engine and it%u2019s gonna cost BIG buks to get %u2018er fixed.

[HECKER301]

Looks like it will be a long, long, long war. Suffering all over the world for the good of few. How about a weapons band? Let us have a day off and not kill a human just for one day, goal. Give it a try, it may be come a human routine liking eating. George for the good of the world and humankind.