"U.S. Reserve nearly Broken" says Army Reserve Chief

[AlbizuX]

U.S. reserves nearly 'broken,' says chief
Iraq, Afghan conflicts sap military resources
January. 6, 2005

WASHINGTON – (Reuters) The U.S. Army Reserve, tapped heavily to provide soldiers for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is “degenerating into a ‘broken’ force” due to dysfunctional military policies, the Army Reserve’s chief said in a memo made public Wednesday. “I do not wish to sound alarmist. I do wish to send a clear, distinctive signal of deepening concern,” Lt. Gen. James Helmly said in a Dec. 20 memo to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker.

The Army Reserve is a force of 200,000 part-time soldiers who opted not to sign up for the active-duty Army but can be mobilized from their civilian lives in times of national need. About 52,000 Army Reserve soldiers are on active duty, with 17,000 in Iraq and 2,000 in Afghanistan, the Army said.

http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a1301.htm#003

Read the article there...

[patricia92243]

1. Since Bush has nothing to lose now, I assume the draft is right around the

corner. I only wonder why they are waiting. After the coronation, I guess.

[BlueManDude]

2. Why does Lt. Gen. James Helmly hate America? n/t

[Coventina]

4. You beat me to it!!!!

It's clear that his comments are helping evil-doers!!!

[bemildred]

3. How about "more increasingly broken", or just "is broken"? nt

[spartan61]

5. Just had a thought...

the fact that the Reserves is broken could be so much worse. What would happen to the Reserves, the National Guard, and to America if all the soldiers did what bushie did during the Vietnam War? Why is it OK for him to be AWOL and have his records scrubbed, but not for everyone else? He is such a loser!

[GetTheRightVote]

6. This is sick just simply sick, how can we live in a country which does it

The right wing is just a bunch of sick other f**kers.
Do not let them fool you, they know what is going on and yet it continues to this day. Is this not enough to join against the right wing of this country, they are all sick peopleto let this happen.

:mad:

[IStriker]

7. It's "broken" unless they get a big bonus...

I stopped reading the other day when I saw this when he got to the part that a big bonus would mend it in a day. It's just a threat or warning that we must pony up as much or more to keep the Army Reserve on board. We paid a salary to these people for one weekend a month to be on call in case we needed them, but that doesn't make any difference. I feel sorry for these people who got "caught" and sent to Iraq or Afghanistan because most believed they would not actually have to serve.

Personally, I think it's idiotic that we don't get rid of the bulk of the reserves and just enlarge the regular military. Congress has to pass the increase in size and for whatever reason they have no interest in doing that.

[Kolesar]

8. I think the Reserves and the Guard are pork-barrel spending

They are an inefficient use of resources, but they do generate a lot of local spending. I recall when Reagan reactivated the 1940s Missouri-class battleships just to "home base" them in select southern port towns that had no other naval facilities.

[IStriker]

10. I agree completely...

it is inefficient, but it's like trying to close unneeded bases that the military has no desire to keep. The communities have BIG use for them, and since I'm married to a retired military man, you can't imagine how the retirees start screaming when the military wants to get rid of the only base for hundreds of miles with a commissary. I have a hunch it will be less so since taxes are now paid on cigarettes. The commissaries do not draw anything like the number of shoppers they once had as it no longer pays to drive a great distance since there are no $ 4 cartons.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MasonJar]

12. Did it occur to you that these citizen soldiers probably need the

bonuses to save their homes from foreclosure? It is possible the bonus might be something they might take because they have to.

[Deja Q]

9. Well, what will * pull before inciting a draft and breaking his promise...

again?