McHugh: Focus is on where service falls short

[unhappycamper]

Army Secretary John McHugh acknowledged in a wide-ranging exclusive interview that the Army is heavily stressed, strained and drained after years of combat deployments and is facing challenges stemming not only from the wars but also from a Defense Department-wide review of strategy and capabilities that could change the Army’s size, shape and missions.


McHugh: Focus is on where service falls short
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Oct 24, 2009 9:26:39 EDT

Army Secretary John McHugh thinks the Army is probably big enough to meet the needs of two wars and a predicted era of persistent conflict.

McHugh acknowledged in a wide-ranging exclusive interview that the Army is heavily stressed, strained and drained after years of combat deployments and is facing challenges stemming not only from the wars but also from a Defense Department-wide review of strategy and capabilities that could change the Army’s size, shape and missions.

“The right size of the Army is not just a matter of numbers,” McHugh said. “You can find yourself in an era of persistent conflict where 10 million troops may not be enough.” The Army, McHugh said, does not necessarily have to be larger than it is now — and may even be smaller as a result of the Quadrennial Defense Review, due to be completed early next year.

“The unsettling thing to me about persistent conflict, other than that you have no rest, is that in this era, there is no one defined threat,” he said. “And normally, if normal is the right word, we have configured our forces against one enemy or one type of enemy. We don’t have that luxury anymore.

“It is a daunting challenge, but we do think, within a number that could be close to the current end strength or perhaps a little bit less, if you configured those forces properly and resourced those forces correctly, you could meet the range of challenges,” he said.


Rest ofg article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/army_mchugh_102409w/



unhappycamper comment: "resourced those forces correctly" is code for lotsa money will be needed.