Be sure to read it here, since you sure as hell won't read it over there:
Army too stretched if Iraq buildup lasts
WASHINGTON - Sapped by nearly six years of war, the Army has nearly exhausted its fighting force and its options if the Bush administration decides to extend the Iraq buildup beyond next spring.
The Army's 38 available combat units are deployed, just returning home or already tapped to go to Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere, leaving no fresh troops to replace five extra brigades that President Bush sent to Baghdad this year, according to interviews and military documents reviewed by The Associated Press.
So ... options, folks ... we need options:
That presents the Pentagon with several painful choices if the U.S. wants to maintain higher troop levels beyond the spring of 2008:
* Using National Guard units on an accelerated schedule.
* Breaking the military's pledge to keep soldiers in Iraq for no longer than 15 months.
* Breaching a commitment to give soldiers a full year at home before sending them back to war.
For a war-fatigued nation and a Congress bent on bringing troops home, none of those is desirable.
But there's a plan, right? I mean, those GOP geniuses always have a plan:
When asked what units will fill the void in the coming spring if any need to be replaced, officials give a grim shake of the head, shrug of the shoulders or a palms-up, empty-handed gesture.
Well, no matter -- the important thing is to support the ... support the ... um, excuse me? (emphasis added)
[Frederick] Kagan, a leading supporter of the current buildup strategy, said any decision to maintain force levels would have to take into account the effects on the Army. That would include, he said, the strains of sending Guard units back to Iraq more rapidly than Pentagon policy allows or keeping active duty units there longer than 15 months.
"You have the same tradeoff at every moment in this process, which is the institutional well-being of the Army versus what is felt is necessary to win the war," Kagan said.
According to military officials, some soldiers in Iraq are hearing that it may not be wise to pack their bags to come home when their 15-month tour is up. But to date, Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, have said they have no plans to extend those tours.
Yeah, you troops, those are just ugly rumours, no truth to them. But, just to be on the safe side, I'd bone up on how to fill out an absentee ballot if I were you.
4 comments:
According to Giuliani "The U.S. Army needs a minimum of ten new combat brigades. It may need more, but this is an appropriate baseline increase while we reevaluate our strategies and resources." Yhat's 50,000 men (not including support) while they're waiting around figuring out what to do.
Anyone else feel a draft?
I just keep wondering what the US is going to do when China decides to invade while all our forces are in Iraq and Afghanistan playing Whack-A-Mole
Not a problem. All the campus Repugs are gonna join up now. (hiccup) They were just waiting til they were needed, yeah, that's it, til the moment was just right. (hicc-uupp) And the fighting 101st keyboardists. Them too. They are getting packed and ready to sign up to be the troops they have been supporting. OH Yeah Baby! Any minute now. (hicccuppp, hiccuppp!!) Blogging Tories by the dozens will climb out of their jammies and salute! They hear the call!! LOLOL! Hoooboy! Yup two three four, and like that!
I can hardly wait:)
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