U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne quick-reaction force faces possible problem: Full deployment

[aggiesal]

International Herald Tribune

The Associated Press
Published: January 19, 2007

RALEIGH, North Carolina: The four brigades in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division usually rotate the role of the United States' "ready" brigade, prepared to leave for anywhere in the world within 18 hours.

But in the latest example of how the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are pushing the Army to its limits, the brigade may have to briefly give up its role this summer.

It is possible all four of the 3,500-soldier brigades would be overseas for the first time since Operation Desert Storm in 1990, when they deployed together as a full division.

"What's happened here is the Army's force posture has become totally absorbed in Iraq and Afghanistan with virtually no slack to deal with emergencies that arise," said Loren Thompson, a military analyst at the Lexington Institute in the Washington area.

If that happens, a brigade from another Army division would take over, although the division would reclaim the strategic response role as soon as possible, said the division's commander, Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/19/america/NA-GEN-US-Army-Readiness.php

Wearing our military pretty thin.
This will eventually effect everyone here in the states.

But, "I'm the dictat..., ooops, the Decider."

[neoblues]

1. Well, I reckon that mean we needs us a bigger army...

No, it means we need to stop deploying the troops we do have in useless quagmires, violent, hopeless debacles and the like.

One certainly cannot dictate to others that they will have a secular Democracy and get along with others of differing religion and ethnicity at the end of a gun--unless one is willing to be as ruthless as a dictator (and willing to commit genocide when those people rebel), and that's just not what we stand for.

[genie_weenie]

2. Well, it just means

that members of the Armed Forces need to do their entire tours in Iraq and Afghanistan! What's this crap of "rotating" (read: slacking) back home after a puny 8-13 months overseas? 3 or 4 years in Iraq, mandatory, now!

[lpbk2713]

3. Draft the chickenhawks first.

They seem to have all the solutions.

Why with their help that nonsense would be over in no time at all. :sarcasm: