Shocker: US has 'no strategic military reserve'

[kpete]

Experts: Not a single Army Combat team left ready to deploy

RAW STORY
Published: Tuesday August 1, 2006

A group of national security experts formed by Democratic leadership has reported to Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) that, "there is not a single non-deployed Army Brigade Combat Team in the United States that is ready to deploy," RAW STORY has learned.

"The bottom line," the group concludes in a letter to Democratic leadership, "is that our Army currently has no ready, strategic reserve."

The letter, as acquired by RAW STORY, follows:

August 1, 2006

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Democratic Leader United States House of Representatives The Capitol Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Harry Reid Democratic Leader United States Senate The Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Leader Pelosi and Leader Reid:

We are writing to express our deep concern about the U.S. Army's current state of readiness and to urge you to take immediate action to address this urgent problem. We have recently learned that:

---Two thirds of the Army's operating force, active and reserve, is now reporting in as unready.
---There is not a single non-deployed Army Brigade Combat Team in the United States that is ready to deploy.

The bottom line is that our Army currently has no ready, strategic reserve. Not since the Vietnam era and its aftermath has the Army's readiness been so degraded.

This is particularly dangerous at a time when the United States is engaged in a global effort to counter terrorism and is facing numerous crises in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iran and North Korea. The lack of a ready strategic reserve in our Army weakens our ability to deter undesired actions by these nations, as well as our ability to respond effectively to such actions.

..........................

Sincerely,

William J. Perry Chair, National Security Advisory Group

Madeleine K. Albright Graham T. Allison Samuel R. Berger Ashton B. Carter Wesley K. Clark Thomas E. Donilon Michele A. Flournoy John D. Podesta Susan E. Rice John M. Shalikashvili Wendy R. Sherman Elizabeth D. Sherwood-Randall James B. Steinberg

more at:
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Experts_Not_single_Army_Combat_team_0801.html

[Sherman A1]

1. Thank You Mr. *

Your plan seems to be working perfectly....

[atreides1]

2. Now would be a perfect time

For an enemy to strike, Bush and his crew did a good job, and let's not forget that this war was a bipartisan agreement, with the exception of a few truly courageous politicians who voted for what was right, not for what was right for them.

And those still wanting to "stay the course", on both sides of the aisle, will just ignore this report.

[NNN0LHI]

12. Bush and his minions always has the Rapture to fall back on n/t

[elehhhhna]

17. Heck, everybody's striking everybody else already. Who's

gonna stop them? The UN, which we've castrated? NATO...I mean, Old Europe? Or the 4 to 6 U.S. National Guardsmen who aren't in Iraq yet?

[Hubert Flottz]

3. Yes but god damn it, we got "MORALITY" out the ass!

Jesus is on our side!

[babylonsister]

4. And this is the party that ran on protecting our country? Is this NOT

a good reason to impeach all the sons a bitches?

[izzie]

5. My one hope is Bush will not come to Maine this Summer.Why?

Their is still some thing left of this state and if he only walks through I fear all will be gone. He seems to leave every thing is one big mess. Evil eye or some thing.

[lonestarnot]

6. Suuuuprize! Suuuuprize! Suuuuuprize! Not. n/t

[uppityperson]

7. k&r for incompetance of this administration. and arrogance of the same

[leftchick]

8. "who could have predicted....

right condi?

[Recursion]

9. Shalikashvili?

I thought he's been in a coma for the past 2 years?

[Hubert Flottz]

10. And a draft won't help, because we all know now that...

From Rumsfeld, an ugly smear and a giant fib

snip...

Rumsfeld shamefully smeared American veterans and then deliberately fibbed about how there is absolutely "no need " to consider reinstating the draft because the nation's all-volunteer military was, he assured us, working perfectly.

First, the smear of veterans. Speaking of the 11 million Americans who, during the Vietnam years, answered their country's draft call and the 2 million who served in Vietnam, Rumsfeld alleged that these draftees "added no value, no advantage, really, to the United States armed services over any sustained period of time, because the churning that took place, it took enormous amount of effort in terms of training, and then they were gone."

I'll say "then, they were gone!" Of the 58,152 Americans who gave their lives in Vietnam 20,352 of them were draftees. How dare the secretary of defense say these good and brave Americans "added no value, no advantage, to the United States armed services?"

Why would he slander the sacrifice of these brave men, dishonor their memory and rub salt in their families' wounds? ...More...

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/20/column.shields.opinion.rumsfeld/index.html

Just makes you want to jump up and forget about your wife and kids and go and get your balls blown off for a guy like Donnie, over a pack of lies...don't it?

[htuttle]

11. Apparently, Little Boots needs some more army guys

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. !

:spray: Well according to Little Boots, the World is now a safer place because of his deciding to take out Saddam.....so whaddaweneedmoresoldiers for anyways? :crazy:

[RobertSeattle]

13. Bring on the Chickenhawk Brigades!

They'll fight fight fight with all their keyboard might might might!

[babylonsister]

15. Just...kick. nt

[lpbk2713]

16. It was a fairly good giveaway to me that we are in bad shape

when I heard Navy and Air Force personnel were filling in for Marines and Army personnel to give them a little bit of a break. And I heard that several months ago.

[A Brand New World]

21. My cousin's husband, who is an Air Force officer, recently was

deployed to Kuwait as a fill-in for the shortage of Army personnel. My cousin is definitely unhappy from the standpoint of him being asked to perform a job that he is not specifically trained for. He is definitely not a stupid man and will not have a problem learning anything they ask of him but the Army is still not what he signed up for. This is his second deployment to Kuwait but the first one was for his job with the Air Force. At least Kuwait is not as deadly as Iraq but who knows at this point where he'll end up. With ** and Rummy at the wheel, he's liable to end up in Syria.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. Does that mean that mighty Andorra will be the next "threat"?

One that our glorious military might be able to handle - if given a few hundred billion more dollars in high tech war toys.

[Redstone]

19. And this is a "shocker," why?

Redstone

[Flying Dream Blues]

20. Wait for it...now we've gone and told the enemy that we are

out of soldiers! "Why do Democrats hate America and want our troops to die?"

[lonestarnot]

22. Do you suppose they are going to blame a draft on the dems?

[bananarepublican]

23. The perfect excuse for Bush, Cheney and Chickenhawk friends to go...

...nuts with nukes!

Let's not forget about Cheney constructing a bunker under his new abode. I don't think he'd do that unless he intends on using it at some point in the future.

Let's hope that Russia, China, Iran, and Syria play it smart and not get sucked into the fantasy world of the current administration.

[cynatnite]

24. Fucking chickenhawks!

:grr: They've abused, neglected and murdered servicemembers so they can have bigger balls. :grr: