Joint Chiefs' concern about soldiers' dwell time means only 15,000 troops ready for Afghanistan

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from Robert Naiman at HuffPo: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/joint-chiefs-dont-mess-wi_b_345243.html


If you think there's a house-on-fire emergency demanding that President Obama send 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan right away (is your name Fred Kagan?) you don't just have a problem with President Barack Obama. You have a problem with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

At a White House meeting Friday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff urged President Barack Obama to send fresh troops to Afghanistan only if they have spent at least a year in the U.S. since their last overseas tour, according to people familiar with the matter. If Mr. Obama agreed to that condition, many potential Afghanistan reinforcements wouldn't be available until next summer at the earliest.

A recent study by the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, concluded that the U.S. has only three Army and Marine brigades - about 11,000 to 15,000 troops - capable of deploying to Afghanistan this year after spending at least 12 months back in the U.S.

Like every other patriotic American, I want to support our troops. If the Joint Chiefs say our troops need twelve months at home before being sent to Afghanistan, I think we better do what they say.


read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/joint-chiefs-dont-mess-wi_b_345243.html

[FarCenter]

1. With close to 1.5 million active duty and a similar number of reserve

Why does the DoD have such trouble sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan?

Empty out the Pentagon and send them all.

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2. overstretched

overextended

It takes about 3-5 years to train, and equip new forces for the battlefield.

[FarCenter]

5. It can't take 3-5 years to train

Most enlistments are for less than 5 years.

The draft was for 2 years IIRC. In 2 years you were trained, deployed, sent home and mustered out.

[unhappycamper]

3. Don't forget the National Guard is still in the deployment business.

I think that's the first time since Vietnam.

[bigtree]

4. right

Pentagon officials announce 2010 Afghanistan deployments
http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/10/21/29064-pentagon-officials-announce-2010-afghanistan-deployments/index.html