Mullen: U.S. forces significantly stressed

[CommunityEditor]

The military’s top uniformed officer said U.S. forces are “significantly stressed” by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan while simultaneously trying to stem the tide of violent extremism elsewhere.

“The pace of ongoing operations has prevented our forces from fully training for the full spectrum of operations, and impacts our ability to be ready to counter future threats,” Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in testimony prepared for delivery Wednesday.

Mullen’s stern warnings are likely to become welcome political fodder for anti-war Democrats, who want legislation requiring that troops spend more time at home between combat tours. Last year’s efforts to pass such a bill failed after intense lobbying by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who says it would do more harm than good and tie the hands of military commanders.

Mullen and Gates were set to testify Wednesday in separate hearings of the House and Senate Armed Services committees. Copies of their prepared remarks were obtained in advance by The Associated Press.

In their testimony, Gates and Mullen ask Congress to support a $588.3 billion request for defense spending in the 2009 budget year, which begins Oct. 1.

Of that amount, $70 billion would go toward war spending, representing only a fraction of what the wars likely will cost. Defense officials say the money is expected to last until early 2009, when the next president takes over.

Much of the Pentagon’s annual budget request is aimed at expanding the ranks of ground forces and improving their ability to fight. The spending blueprint allots $20.5 billion to boost the size of the Army by 7,000 soldiers, to 532,400, and add 5,000 Marines to expand the Corps to 194,000.

Mullen said adding more troops to the payroll is a necessary step toward easing the strain on a force that cannot sustain the current pace of operations. According to Mullen, Army soldiers should be limited to yearlong combat tours, instead of 15-month deployments, and eventually be given two years at home between deployments, instead of just one. Marines should move to 14 months at home following seven-month deployments, he said.

“I am extremely concerned about the toll the current pace of operations is taking on them and on their families, on our equipment and on our ability to respond to crises and contingencies beyond ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said.

Mullen also said violence in Iraq has “substantially decreased,” but that Afghanistan is facing “a growing insurgency, increasing violence and a burgeoning drug trade fueled by widespread poppy cultivation.”

Democrats said they were frustrated that the military’s latest budget does not include a full accounting of next year’s war costs.

If the current rate of war spending is a guide, the additional request for 2009 is likely to exceed $100 billion.

“Without full transparency after more than six years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is impossible for the American people to make a full accounting of our financial commitment there,” said Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

But Gates said a realistic estimate is almost impossible to make, in part because he doesn’t know how many troops will be in Iraq this fall. Also uncertain is whether Congress will approve the $102.5 billion still needed in this budget year, he said.

Democrats are waiting to consider the $102.5 billion until after they hear from Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, in April.

“Delay is degrading our ability to operate and sustain the force at home and in theater, and is making it difficult to manage this department in a way that is fiscally sound,” Gates warns. “The Department of Defense is like the world’s biggest supertanker. It cannot turn on a dime and cannot be steered like a skiff.”


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/20...mullen_080206/

[Shrike]

In other obvious news, water is wet.

Grass is green...

FInally a CJCS that is not afraid to tell it like it is. The Army is worn out.

this just in... the sky is blue.

That's not Leadership. I have friends, people in the combat zone, who can't stay on base because they're tired. Yes, weary; but they saddle up and go on Duty. My dad lost sleep but he carried on 1942-46 and so do I in my way to the best of my ability. Before the day I have the thought that I'm tired, and say it out loud to Congress, I will retire on Duty.

[Measure Man]

Originally Posted by Whiskey1A

That's not Leadership. I have friends, people in the combat zone, who can't stay on base because they're tired. Yes, weary; but they saddle up and go on Duty. My dad lost sleep but he carried on 1942-46 and so do I in my way to the best of my ability. Before the day I have the thought that I'm tired, and say it out loud to Congress, I will retire on Duty.

That's his job...to report to Congress on the state of the military. He's not talking about himself being tired...he's talking about the toll on the health of the force.

Just saying "everything is fine" all the time isn't leadership...especially when it isn't.

If every leader retired before they had the courage to say things aren't okay...we'd still be in balloons shooting muskets.

Wow, finally an admission of the significant strain on the forces. I know I am tired as hell of this deployment cycle, it sucks but I forced myself through my deployments. I couldn't go on like that forever and I know plenty of other Marines and service members who feel the same

The war is lost ,why isn't he advocating leaving iraq.
are there still more war crimes to implement?
Any draft will be met with riots,Next time the brass wants to pick a war it had better be concerning America being threatened. Iraq switched to oil for Euros, it shouldn't of bothered America. If America was run by real politicians and not gangsters who ran the economy into the red to the tune of 120 trillion in debt.
want draftees to fight in iraq you have been there for 7 years your fighting rag heads wearing rags whats the problem? is it because you don't really want to win the war?
hell you killed 1.2 million Iraqi don't you think it would of been more convenient to drop 2x 600 mega ton bad boys on them.It would saved a lot of money, a lot of dead Americans and a lot war crimes.
You want the cream of America to come clean up the slop that the regular Bozos in the army created.
Not going to happen. you want the cream,the best America has to offer then only fight wars where America is threatened.shove your war crimes and your lost war up your arse.
you huddle in the green zone,any more war crimes may bring the shi'ites down around you ,which would wipe out your force inside of a day.The war is over General go play war games and stop trying to involve anymore Americans in your lost war.better yet build a new wall a little longer than the viet nam wall for the fallen men they deserve at least that from you. perhaps you could hold a minute of silence for the fallen iraqi too all 1.2 million of them .and the ones yet to fall that have been sucking on America's nuclear waste.
You Bozos in the army really are stupid. the arrogance to think that regulars could take on a civilian population. Regulars are a pos . uneducated, dumb as a door knob pos the officers themselves are drop outs from society. thats why you are left with a lost war and no recourse but defeat ,like Viet nam.
sound the bugle General your war is over. Arabs in rags who didn't cry for armor from mom who fought to the last man these are the victors because they are not regulars they are civilians.
google up Black Watch and you might learn why a conscript army makes the regulars look like girls.
how many more Viet nams will it take for you generals to understand that your arrogance and dead brains
are not the super power you think you are.General your defeated you have lost the war you can buy the sunnis off from attacking and claim the surge is working but they will be back for now they circle the green zone time is on their side .poor ignorant fools you regulars are.
My grandfather fought in the first world war that war makes Iraq lok like a sunday picnic his rank was sgt
in the Black Watch an all conscript unit they are also known as the Queens regiment.when the bag pipes sounded regulars in the german army pissed their pants thats what the cream of society give the army.
so fight your wars full of war crimes and the regulars that act like gangsters.
America has lost the war another Vietnam has come to America . you have been soundly defeated by ragheads dressed in rags because you went in like idots where angels fear to tread
why did you not move to the Afghan border once Saddam was captured.
what a opathetic bunch of idiots in the regular army a gang of criminals led by idiots

Even if they go back to 12 month tours, then what will the dwell time be back at home station. They seem to forget that upon return you usually get 30 days of bullshit classes, breifings, and testing to reintegrate you into the community, then you finally get to take 30 days of leave if your lucky. After all that it time to reset all your equipment and train to go right back to same bullshit. Then there is all the talk about realigning units making it seem like we are a bigger force but in all reallity we are just fooling ourselves. And lets not forget those of us who want to move to new duty stations but upon getting there the damm post puts you right back in a unit that is deploying in 6 or less months. Lets not be fooled by all this political bullshit maybe they should try it and see how tired they get after constant deployments with about 9 to 12 months between them and about 6 months of that with your family and loved ones.