updated: January 30, 2008
Summary
In December 2004, Specialist Thomas Wilson, a scout on his way to Iraq
with the Tennessee National Guard, caused a media firestorm by asking
then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about Humvee armor shortages:
“Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap
metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles and why
don’t we have those resources readily available to us?”1 Others in his
unit agreed that they were undermanned and underequipped. Spc. Blaze
Crook, a truck driver, said, “I don’t think we have enough troops going in
to do the job.”
Most military experts now agree that years of war and the spring 2007
“surge” have pushed our military to the breaking point. According to
General George Casey, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army,
“The demand for our forces exceeds the sustainable supply.”3 Admiral
Michael G. Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has agreed,
acknowledging that the current policy of an increased U.S. force presence
in Iraq cannot continue past April 2008.
The consequences of our overextension are dire. General Peter Pace,
former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believes that there is a
significant risk that the U.S. military will not be able to respond effectively
if confronted with another crisis.5 By spring 2008, all four brigades of the
82nd Airborne, the Army’s rapid response division, will be deployed to Iraq
or Afghanistan, leaving the Army without “a rapid response capability for
other crises around the globe.”6 Army Lieutenant General Douglas Lute,
President Bush’s new war adviser, has gone so far as to say that a military
draft is worth considering.
Forced to fill the ranks without a draft, the military has
faced serious problems with recruitment. The Pentagon
has responded by lowering age, education, and aptitude
standards for new recruits, as well as increasing enlistment
bonuses. In March 2007, the National Guard actually ran
out of funds for marketing and advertising.8 The costs of
retention have sky-rocketed to over $1 billion, six times the
amount spent in 2003. The military has also held 70,000
troops on active-duty beyond their expected contract enddates—
a controversial policy known as “Stop Loss”—and
has called up 15,000 veterans, many of whom have not put
on a uniform in years.
The military now regularly requires troops to serve
multiple, extended combat tours. Over 449,000 troops
have served more than one combat tour, and many have
returned to war after only a few months rest.9 Active-duty
Army combat tours are now 15 months long, with only
half the recommended “dwell time” at home between
tours. The increased tempo is expected to have a major
impact on service members’ health. According to a military
survey, soldiers serving multiple tours are 50 percent more
likely to suffer from a mental health problem.
Equipment shortages have contributed to the plummeting
readiness ratings of Army and Marine units, threatening
our ability to cope with foreign threats and domestic
emergencies. By September 2006, “Roughly one-half
of all Army units (deployed and non-deployed, active
and reserves) received the lowest readiness rating any
fully formed unit can receive.”10 About four-fifths of
Army Guard and Reserve units not mobilized received
the lowest possible readiness rating. State officials in
California, Kansas and Oregon have publicly expressed
grave concerns about the damage done to our domestic
security. According to the Government Accountability
Office, 20 states and territories now have “inadequate
capability” to fulfill key domestic security missions.15 This
situation is so dire that, in 2006, all 50 governors signed
a letter calling on President Bush to ensure the National
Guard is re-equipped.
According to Dr. Andrew Krepinevich, President of the
Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, “[T]
he Army and Marine Corps equipment is in such a state
of disrepair that it will take years and tens of billions
of dollars to repair or replace.”16 The Army has already
received over $38 billion dollars to repair or replace
equipment used in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it is
estimated that reset costs will be $13 billion a year for
the duration of combat.
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