Chief of Staff Calls for Army Increase

[Nambe]

Associated Press

Troop commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the U.S. Army and its size may need to be increased, acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. John Keane said Tuesday. ---

"There's no doubt" more troops are needed, Keane told reporters. "I've just told you we're short of infantry, we're short of chemical-biological soldiers, we're short of military police."

But he said before military leaders can come up with a number for an increase in combat troops, they have to see what military slots can be converted to civilian slots. He also said combat support services have to be improved.

"Clearly we're stretched and we know we're short certain skill sets we've got to fix," he said. "That's as specific as I can get until we do the rest of the analysis" over the next weeks and months.

Keane, who said morale in the Army was the best he has seen in 37 years, is scheduled to retire this summer. ---

[bluestateguy]

1. D-R-A-F-T

After the election, of course, all those soccer moms turned security moms will instead by driving little Dylan off to the induction center.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

9. Please don't get offended at this.

These Soccer Moms turned "Security Moms" shoul be called "Security Sluts" for falling for Bush's propaganda. They are willing to be used to prop up the current Regime!

[Sagan]

2. Outsourcing -- GOP answer to everything.

So they want to let the private sector handle Army business so they can use those clerks and drivers as infantry, eh?

And will this increase or decrease costs? I'll give you one guess.

[pw]

4. Outsourcing is fine in peacetime

When you don't need clerks or drivers or technicians to go places where they could be blown up. So when will it be peacetime again?

[Divernan]

3. Be all that you can be -all cannon fodder - all the time.

This is the way Bush justifies privatizing the army, i.e., instead of the old ratio of one in ten soldiers assigned to actual battle, and the rest working in support capacities, we'll see ten out of ten under fire, with underpaid, unmotivated civilians providing support in a very unmilitary, undisciplined manner. I am sure the plans call for hiring "locals" for the civilian slots - because what Americans would agree to work in a hellhole like Iraq unless they got very generous hardship pay? That would be great for the troops' morale, wouldn't it?

[J B]

5. This is an admission they slashed logistics

and now they wanna outsource what they slashed.

A disaster waiting to happen

[samsingh]

6. blame Bush

Bush's policies are hurting the military

[MHS Chips]

12. Blame Rumsfeld

Remember all those quotes from the soldiers in Iraq--it was Rumsfeld they were upset with & rightfully so. He wants to downsize the Army--already not enough troops to do the job--and meanwhile he is pouring money into every unnecessary defense project & weapon he can. Our Air Force & Navy are each 4 times larger than the next largest and have limited relevance to peacekeeping, the war on terror, ops in AFghanistan or the occupation of Iraq. But they are getting the lion's share of the defense budget because their money is given to corporations for more un-needed planes & ships & submarines. The Army is smaller than several others in the world and has the smallest budget, but is not getting any more since Army money goes mostly to people and not corporate profits. The troops on the ground know the deal.

[pfitz59]

7. Rummie on CSPAN

Wants to outsource 300,000 jobs to KBR and DYNCORP! (Didn't name names, but we know who they are!) Follow the money! This isn't about national security, it's another raid on the treasury!

[Changenow]

8. Keane might be a straight shooter.

He was offered the Joint Chief Job and turned it down and retired. That’s the reason he is only “acting.” He knows what Rummy is and wants no part of it.

[MHS Chips]

14. Kean was the Army's choice, he would have stood up to

Rumsfeld--actual reason he's not taking the job is his wife's health.

[Changenow]

15. That is the official line.

and Karen Hughes went back to Texas before the election because her kid wanted to go to a different school.

[MHS Chips]

13. Rumsfeld policy=more contracts & screw the troops!

A lot of the troops in Iraq are still living like hell, rationing water, wearing uniforms for weeks--the DOD policy was that contractors would come in and take care of it all. Well, surprise--its dangerous so they can't get people to show up, so the troops are still sucking & what does Rumsfeld learn from this---cut more troops & spend more money on hiring more contractors. Couldn't be more backwards.

[bushisanidiot]

10. Instead of a Draft They'll Start Handing Out Green Cards

for never ending military duty.. if they make it home alive they get to be a citizen of the u.s.a.

Hmmm.. maybe they're doing this already.

[oneighty]

11. The American Foreign Legion.

Hmmm!

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