Senior Army Officials: US Readiness Dangerously Low

Washington Post:

Senior Army and Marine Corps leaders said yesterday that the increase of more than 30,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan has put unsustainable levels of stress on U.S. ground forces and has put their readiness to fight other conflicts at the lowest level in years.

In a stark assessment a week before Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is to testify on the war's progress, Gen. Richard A. Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff, said that the heavy deployments are inflicting "incredible stress" on soldiers and families and that they pose "a significant risk" to the nation's all-volunteer military.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[BronxBorn]

You liberals are a bunch of worry warts.
As a proud ditto head, I see Iraq as the next U.S. State, and then we can draft all the Iraqis we need to bolster our Armed Forces.
O.K. you say, and maybe pigs can fly. To that I say, witness this!

http://www.mahablog.com/

[Portnoy]

I thought 9/11 was an inside job? A false flag operation?

Why should we be concerned?

[HumeSkeptic]

Huh?

[Ramirez]

9/11 was an outside job, dude.

[ibsteve2u]

It always make me a little nervous when senior military officials feel that it is necessary to publicize force shortcomings with stark language. It tells me that they know they are being poorly led at the very top, and that they truly believe that they have no alternative other than to turn to the Congress and the American people for redress.

lollll...I wonder how many of them now agree with me that those "super-patriots" Bush and Cheney hold their tax cuts to be of much greater value than the safety and security of the United States of America.

They all should, because the fact is that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & PNAC, LLP lied about the projected cost of the Iraq war and only sent a nickel force to do a dollar's work - solely to protect their tax cuts from those who would quite rationally say "But how can we have these tax cuts and support this war?".

[Binea]

An Obama/Ron Paul ticket would be good for many reasons.Ob­ama is a Liberal Democrat,Ron Paul is a true conservative Republican­.Ron Paul on the ticket would balance out Obama's youth,it would be a true coming together of opposites as well.Both signed and promote the oath of Government transparency,both were against and still are against the war in Iraq,both are strong on cival liberties and both have been accused of racism do to what some of their supportes have said.You can't accuse an Obama/Paul ticket of racism.AND It will kill any plans of the Neocons to push the Rev.Wright clips onto Obama.I think though they differ on many things,they agree on enough important issues to really turn this country around.Bot­h have gotten the most money donations from active military,both have brought in many young voters..Tr­uelly this is the perfect ticket.

[LeftVetPatriot]

April Fools, right?

[Gumby123]

I think this would be a 'Duh' moment for the military. It's pretty damn obvious that if you put 90% of your military assets in Afghanistan and Iraq, you're not going to be able to handle much else. I say pull all of the troops out of these countries and close all of our overseas bases, then lets pay off our trade deficit with the savings. Screw the world, we don't need to be their policemen.

[ProfessorDuh]

A Duh moment? But our greatest military analyst, Sean Hannity, said that invading both Afghanistan and Iraq at the same time would be no problem-o because, "We can walk and chew gum at the same time."

[mydogshakespeare]

Same thing happened to Germany when it's misleadership opened a second by ordering an invasion of Russia in 1941. American Executive(s) forgot this bit of history, thus doomed us to repeat history.

Perhaps Republicons were too busy personifying their collective memory of being "young and irresponsible" when they were young and irresponsible to bother electing responsible leadership.

[harriscrl3]

I believe it for the simple reason that the economy is going down the drain. These things are interconnected a weakened economy leads to a weak military. Furthermore republican government treat soldiers like crap once they've finish their tour that doesnt exactly inspire people to join up. For the the ones who are so convinced that they know what a patriot is that democrats are less patriotic than them they give a hoot about soldiers who risked their lives for their country. I would venture to guess that morale is low among soldiers when you dont feel like you are fighting a just war that you've been lied to and decieved by your commander in chief it affects your outlook. Maybe when they start treating soldiers with dignity soldiers would be proud to serve. The republicans have made a mockery of this country time and time again they've chosen their party OVER THE COUNTRY.

Carol

[wolf58]

One of two things bring our troops home from Iraq now or bring back the draft so all the little chickenhawk neocon cowards can finally be part of the war they love so much.

[Casanavelaw]

While I prefer bringing the troops home, A draft would lead to 1960's type activism which would ultimately bring them home also.

[toldyaso]

I'd really rather not serve next to people that don't want to be here. Bring back "wall-to-wall" counseling sessions and I could consider being behind the idea.

[HumeSkeptic]

Great! The surge is a disaster in more than one way.

Over there, the rag tag army of a crazy nut is playing our lying General in Iraq like a fiddle, and now we are told that we don't have enough troops in case bin Laden decides to send his troops to Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, the new C-in-C wannabe is going around singing songs about bombing another country.

Enough of this nonsense. Time to end the war in Iraq, bring our troops home, put someone sane in the White House, and start rebuilding our country.

[wmbear]

SAME STORY, DIFFERENT DAY. To quote our fearless co-leader, "So?"

[IntelligentDesign]

The Neocons don't fret such details, the world is their oyster; if they need bodies they'll get bodies, if they need money they'll get money - they scoff at pathetic opinings over the rule of law and honoring international treaties and the like - they laugh in the face of the good people of this earth, and for good reason, for just who is going to stop them and live to tell about it?

[pennyfortheguy]

As oysters are filter feeders, with the state of the world's oceans, this makes the Neos shit-eaters by default. I knew it.

[bikerdude]

I guess its time to reinstitute the draft and give them an equal opportunity to share in the misery. That act usually ends any war they concoct.. That, and start the impeachment process to make Bush, Cheney and their neocon cabal accountable for their actions.

[Sundialsvc4]

Greeting:

[pennyfortheguy]

hola

[pennyfortheguy]

Send the remainder of jobs paying over $15 an hour to China and whatnot then during the Summer turn power off to major cities around the country at random and televise what results from the confusion.

[pennyfortheguy]

With the Economy the way it is, we're going to need that Draft to return. Especially to supress the rising tide of urban guerilla violence in the Metro areas of this Nation. Talk about your asymmetrical warfare.
Git 'er done.

[joja]

The Pentagon has become completely privatized. It is run by defense industry contractors who are only interested in their respective companies' bottom lines. It has nothing to do with securing the safety of individual Americans or even the country itself.

The Cheney/Bush regime -- and most Republican gasbags, for that matter -- could give a fuck less about the fate of the working-class guy or the soccer mom or the under-educated recruits it sucks into its continuous war machine. This is about greed and power.

It has nothing to do with the Constitutional mandate to protect and defend the country. And to whom is this a big surprise?

[Rog49Thomas]

Once again the loony leftist press and the defeatists are wrong!

Dead wrong!

We are now a third world nation. And as everyone knows in a third world nation rhetoric is reality. If you say something, it exists regarldless if you can actually do something or actually do something.

Our Party of national security, the Republicans, has barely begun to touch their vast storehouse of patriotic and nationalist slogans and delusions.

By my crude reckoning, they easily have enough tof at least five more wars of 100 years each.

Only thing that could be a problem is if the supply of flag lapel pins runs out.

Thank God the for the manufacturing prowess of the PRC and other Asian nations!

[pennyfortheguy]

Like the debate over Recession/­Depression­. Wishing can make it so.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

When you effectively control the media, the truth is whatever you want it to be.