Force increases may not be enough

[CommunityEditor]

There's concern that the troop surge won't be enough and that there isn't enough in reserve to continue at the pace we're going. Various solutions are being tossed around. From the article --

“If the United States is going to have a significant component of its ground forces in Iraq over the next five, 10, 15 or 30 years, then the responsible course is for the president and those supporting this open-ended and escalated presence in Iraq to call for reinstating the draft.”

Another suggestion from Krepinevich was to “welcome” foreigners to serve in the U.S. military in exchange for citizenship.

Korb had two suggestions beyond the draft, both controversial. One would be to drop the military’s prohibition on openly homosexual people serving in the military.

Second, Korb would drop gender restrictions on some direct-combat occupations.

Full article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/20...draft_070417w/


Is the draft inevitable? What about the other suggestions? What would you do if you were in charge?

As a matter of gaining general disicpline and maturity, I believe that all young Americans should serve one or more tours in the Armed Forces. Perhaps the first tour mandatory and subsequent tours as voluntary.

Our American culture is being forced downward as a result of media sources such as the music and television industries. Currently our young people, who we will need to count on in the future, is increasingly becoming a "me" generation with no regard for anyone or anything other than their selves and no real feel for the potential outcomes which could be caused by our enemies if our enemies are not stopped prior to delivery of their will.

The military made me a stand up man when, although I would have probably made it without having been in the military, I am better for it. Therefore my family, friends and others around me are better for what I endured and experieced during my time. I didn't really want to go into the military when I did, but as I look back now I know beyond doubt that I would not trade my experience and what life lessons it gave me for anything.

My son wasn't really sure that he wanted to go into the military, but he is now a gung ho marine currently serving in Ramadi. He has told me that he doesn't really like where he is at, but he has also emphatically said two things: 1. That he wouldn't trade the experience for anything and 2. Dad, you were right.

We have a habit of always fighting the last conflict with last conflicts Armed Forces. I strongly recommend that anyone discussing the draft etc read The Pentagon's New Map- War and Peace in the Twenty First Century by Thomas P.M. Barnett.
.

A draft is nothing but a bad idea...to force young people to fight in a conflivt that they had no choice in and to even have the idea that we should all serve because it is "our duty" or some other pathectic phrase is nothing short of stupidity.

There are many of us with plans for the future; those of us who want famiies of our own and who want to finish off their education and take our place in the owrld in careers that we will flourish in. We cannot flourish in death, nor can the thousands of men and women who have died since this pathetic excuse of a conflict began.

If we want to use vietnam as an reason to reinstate a draft then why not examine Vietnam in all of its aspects: FAILURE, what wa the point in having all those people die? nothing at all, I am no less human than the buffoons who would choose to reinsate a draft, and I will not be told what to do by these same buffoons.

If you think this conflict is bad now, how much worse would it be if you dropped a couple million men and women in the desert who are scared to death and would rather be any place else but there. And if you don't think this conflict is going bad....well then I guess I can't call you human at all. I am not a warmonger but I can see we live under the 'leadership' of them, and these so called experts who claim a draft is a good idea...well then you are no better than the warmongers.

Everyone is quick to "JUST SAY NO TO THE DRAFT", but we have never fought a war without it. Thus we are in the state we are in now. The failure of this administration to send ample troops at the beginning, or even to go to war period has degraded the military and equiupment more than any administration in history. The policy of encreasing the enlistment age and giving huge enlist/renlistment bonuses are also weighing down the system.
It is honorable to say that there are those of us that wnat families and a future, but there won't be a future if this does not get resolved. I am no huge supporter of the current policy, but reality says it is only a matter of time before some idiot gets ahold of a "dirty Bomb" and decides to try it out in a major US City. We must do all we can to prevent that from ever happening, but just like the current shootings at V-Tech, it may be an impossible task to stop it at all. Once an individual gets their mind set to carry these acts out, it will be hard pressed for the US to curtail the events.

As long as the current regime in D.C. is there, we need not worry about a draft. They themselves were draft-dodgers and record deferrment holders. The media such as Limbaugh, Savage, Hannity all back this war to the hilt, but they themselves have never served. Politicians such as Cheney, Wolfolwits, Clinton, Edwards, and Rice have never served. The list is huge (DID U KNOW....... Richard Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, George Tenet, Condoleezza Rice, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Karl Rove, Bill Clinton,Madeleine Albright, Strobe Talbott, William Cohen, John Hamre, George Tenet, Sandy Berger, Dennis Kucinich,John Edwards,Barack Obama,Wolf Bilzter,Joe Biden, Bill Richardson,Tom Brokaw, Alan Colmes, Al Franken, Thomas Friedman, Bill Maher, al Sharpton,Chris Matthews, Jesse Jackson,Michael Moore, David Brooks, Tim Russert, Jon Stewart, George Stephanopoulos, Joshua Marshall, Pat Buchanan, Ann Coulter, Lou Dobbs, Paul Gigot, Sean Hannity, Brit Hume, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, George Will, Bill Kristol, Bill Bennett, Glen Reynolds, Andrew Sullivan, Ana Marie Cox, RudolphGiuliani,Hillary Clinton,Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee,Mitt Romney, Arnold Schwarzenegger{1-year service with the Austrian Army, focusing on body building} have a combined military service of ZERO! ) These people will never let a draft incur and send their own children to war. The Bush twins will remain in the states getting drunk and high.
Tell that startement about fighting in a conflict to WWII veterans, I am sure that they may have a different point of view. The volunteer service has done is a great service, but in time of War, no matter how much we agree to diagree, a draft will need to be implemented to shore up the ranks. This will also keep politics out of it andforce these idiots trying to run it, to run it correctly and as rapidly as possible....


QUOTE=Unregistered;45403]A draft is nothing but a bad idea...to force young people to fight in a conflivt that they had no choice in and to even have the idea that we should all serve because it is "our duty" or some other pathectic phrase is nothing short of stupidity.

There are many of us with plans for the future; those of us who want famiies of our own and who want to finish off their education and take our place in the owrld in careers that we will flourish in. We cannot flourish in death, nor can the thousands of men and women who have died since this pathetic excuse of a conflict began.

If we want to use vietnam as an reason to reinstate a draft then why not examine Vietnam in all of its aspects: FAILURE, what wa the point in having all those people die? nothing at all, I am no less human than the buffoons who would choose to reinsate a draft, and I will not be told what to do by these same buffoons.

If you think this conflict is bad now, how much worse would it be if you dropped a couple million men and women in the desert who are scared to death and would rather be any place else but there. And if you don't think this conflict is going bad....well then I guess I can't call you human at all. I am not a warmonger but I can see we live under the 'leadership' of them, and these so called experts who claim a draft is a good idea...well then you are no better than the warmongers.[/quote]

IT IS A SAD DAY WHEN ONE SHALL ASK FORIEGNERS TO DEFEND OUR COUNTRY!!! WE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF OURSELVES AND TO CALL US ALL AMERICANS AND Krepinevich SHOULD BE ASHAMED FOR SAYING THAT

Originally Posted by CommunityEditor

There's concern that the troop surge won't be enough and that there isn't enough in reserve to continue at the pace we're going. Various solutions are being tossed around. From the article --

“If the United States is going to have a significant component of its ground forces in Iraq over the next five, 10, 15 or 30 years, then the responsible course is for the president and those supporting this open-ended and escalated presence in Iraq to call for reinstating the draft.”

Another suggestion from Krepinevich was to “welcome” foreigners to serve in the U.S. military in exchange for citizenship.

Korb had two suggestions beyond the draft, both controversial. One would be to drop the military’s prohibition on openly homosexual people serving in the military.

Second, Korb would drop gender restrictions on some direct-combat occupations.

Full article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/20...draft_070417w/


Is the draft inevitable? What about the other suggestions? What would you do if you were in charge?

I feel that our country should restrict the military even more so that we only get the best of the best and we know the quality of our troops. Drafts are a bad idea because the differencees between a soldier volunteering and a soldier who is forced to serve are vast. soldiers should want to serve their country, not be forced to. If and when i am in combat i want only the best troops who are going to give it their all by my side.

How Do You Know If Your Indicating "may Not Be Enough" Some Is Better Then None. Something Has To Be Done
Although I Am Not Gay/lesbian If They Want To Serve Let Them As You Are Going To Need All The Man Power Needed.
The Draft Is A Must As The Us Is Loosing It's Means To Keep Us Free Because The Drafties Have A Choice. In The Past There Wasn't A Choice And We Stood Strong Now We Are Loosing Our Strong Steadily And Soon We Will Be At More Risk Then Ever. No One Wants/likes War But Something Has To Be Done Or We Will Be Caught At The Worst End And This Country Will Suffer. It Is Better To Have A Ready Task Force Then To Have None At All. Damn It Wake Up And Get A Clue On What To Do!
Linda Usn/dav100%

[JUNGLERAT]

An d who made the down payment for all these freedoms you enjoy? It (freedom) wasn't free. It is only rented, from generation to genration.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

A draft is nothing but a bad idea...to force young people to fight in a conflivt that they had no choice in and to even have the idea that we should all serve because it is "our duty" or some other pathectic phrase is nothing short of stupidity.

There are many of us with plans for the future; those of us who want famiies of our own and who want to finish off their education and take our place in the owrld in careers that we will flourish in. We cannot flourish in death, nor can the thousands of men and women who have died since this pathetic excuse of a conflict began.

If we want to use vietnam as an reason to reinstate a draft then why not examine Vietnam in all of its aspects: FAILURE, what wa the point in having all those people die? nothing at all, I am no less human than the buffoons who would choose to reinsate a draft, and I will not be told what to do by these same buffoons.

If you think this conflict is bad now, how much worse would it be if you dropped a couple million men and women in the desert who are scared to death and would rather be any place else but there. And if you don't think this conflict is going bad....well then I guess I can't call you human at all. I am not a warmonger but I can see we live under the 'leadership' of them, and these so called experts who claim a draft is a good idea...well then you are no better than the warmongers.

[Enjineer]

Seems like a lot of "unregistered" progressives weighing into the discussion. The idea that Iraq, Afghanistan are a failure like Vietnam is ridiculous. The only failure in Vietnam was in allowing the anti-war crowd and people like "scary" Kerry to drive the discussion and force us to abandon the mission. I sure hope for my grandkid's sake that we don't allow it to happen again. Reading various milblogs, like Michael Yon and Michael Totten for example, it's obvious to me that we still have a good chance to accomplish what we are trying to do, in spite of the mistakes we have made, but we can blow it if we aren't vigilant and vocal. I was of draft age in the 50's and 60's but was too young for Korea and family deferred for Vietnam. Both my sons volunteered for the Air Force in the 80's and the experience they gained was excellent. One was in for over 14 years but got out when the Clinton Administration started gutting the military, still working as a civilian contractor on avionics, including two 3-year assignments on a Saudi airbase. Reinstituting the draft would be the biggest mistake we could make short of abandoning the mission.