Petreus suggests withdrawl of surge, wait and see for pre-surge troops

[Sims2789]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/08/iraq.hearing/index.html?eref=rss_politics

Well, Petreus says we made significant progress. Then again, in the words of our President, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice -- and you can't get fooled again."

Luckily, two-thirds of the American public want us to pull out within a year.

 

[Den Valdron]

Well, its not like Petraeus can say anything else? Seriously. What's he going to say.

"Oh geez, we're so screwed. The Sadrists have purged Baghdad of Sunnis. We're paying the Baathists to run Anbar. Our best friends in the country are sock puppets for the Iranians. The Iraqi army can't outfight a box of kittens even if we give them all ball peen hammers. And worst of all we can't maintain our troop rotations."
Nah, he's going to declare victory, put some other shmuck in charge and have someone to blame when it all goes south

 

[Oerdin]

They had to move towards de-escalation. We simply don't have the troops to maintain the escalation and Bush/Cheney have been refusing to increase the size of the army for six years now.

 

[Ecofarm]

They had to move towards de-escalation. We simply don't have the troops to maintain the escalation and Bush/Cheney have been refusing to increase the size of the army for six years now.

Not even 10% of the US military is in Iraq. Spare us the 'not-capable' crap.

 

[Oerdin]

Spent much time in the service?

There are obligations we have to fill around the world and the short fall has been made up by reservists, people like me during my Iraq tour, and legally there is a limit to the number of months reservists can spend deployed before an additional act of Congress is required to increase the max cap. The problem is Bush has now reached that cap for so many reservists and national guardsmen that there are no longer sufficient numbers to maintain the current troop levels without a new act of Congress.

Please don't let facts get in your way though. Continue ranting about things you haven't a clue about.

 

[Ecofarm]

Spent much time in the service?

Just one enlistment, during Gulf 1. Why do you ask?

There are obligations we have to fill around the world and the short fall has been made up by reservists, people like me during my Iraq tour, and legally there is a limit to the number of months reservists can spend deployed before an additional act of Congress is required to increase the max cap. The problem is Bush has now reached that cap for so many reservists and national guardsmen that there are no longer sufficient numbers to maintain the current troop levels without a new act of Congress.

Please don't let facts get in your way though. Continue ranting about things you haven't a clue about.

Not even 10% of the US military is in Iraq. More than 70% of our military is at home. We could redistribute as necessary.

In 2003, 387,920 troops were stationed on foreign soil.

http://www.heritage.org/research/nationalsecurity/cda04-11.cfm

Do we really need over 70% of our military at home? Nah. Probably no huge civil unrest will require them.

You can keep ranting aout things you know nothing about. FOREIGN COMMITTMENTS!!! Yea, almost 15% of our military is tied up in those, including Iraq. Big deal.

 

[Integral]

The active Army has 45 or so combat brigades. At the height of the surge, 20 of those were in Iraq and another 3 or 4 were in Afghanistan. There are also somewhere around 24 Guard and Reserve combat brigades. I don't have exact figures, sorry.

Considering that not all brigades are ready for deployment, you could estimate the total to be around 65 combat brigades, of which about one-third are in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan.

If we absolutely had to, we could probably double the number of combat troops in Iraq.

 

[Berzerker]

John McCain once opposed these tax cuts -- he rightly called them unfair and fiscally irresponsible. But now he has done an about face and wants to make them permanent

Well that aint fair, you can oppose a tax cut and several years later see and like the results nonetheless and support continuing the policy.

McCain 1
Obama 0

Not even 10% of the US military is in Iraq. More than 70% of our military is at home. We could redistribute as necessary.

If it was that easy why dont we do it? I mean, I agree, seems like we got plenty of people on paper so whats the problem? There appears to be a problem...

 

[Cutlass]

If we absolutely had to, we could probably double the number of combat troops in Iraq.

For a time. But it steadily becomes harder to keep veteran people in the Army under a volunteer force. If there's a major crisis in a few years time, we are going to have an extremely hard time dealing with it.

 

[Cutlass]

Well that aint fair, you can oppose a tax cut and several years later see and like the results nonetheless and support continuing the policy.

McCain 1
Obama 0

And when the "tax deferment" is proven to be an absurdly reckless policy, you can sell out your principles for political advantage or you can be responsible.

McCain -1
Obama 3

 

[JeffersonDavis]

I got wounded in Iraq. it aint fun!

 

[Chazumi]

Just one enlistment, during Gulf 1. Why do you ask?

Then SHUTTUP ECO!!! God dayum, let us current active service members speak the truth

 

[Chazumi]

If we absolutely had to, we could probably double the number of combat troops in Iraq.

You're right if we ABSOLUTELY HAD TO, we could do it. In this war no way. You people make me sick. "I sit in the united states with its' temperate climates, shop at it's malls, eat fast food weekly, work my 9-5 jobs. Who cares about that guy that actually believes in Americas future, in America's soveriegnty, I am going to bang his wife while he is away. HE DOESN'T NEED TO SEE HIS DAUGHTER, AND SCREW HIS WIFE! THEY DON'T NEED TO BE WITH EACH OTHER FOR 15 MONTHS, WOO IRAQ WAR!"

Screw you guys.

 

[Shadylookin]

Just one enlistment, during Gulf 1. Why do you ask?



Not even 10% of the US military is in Iraq. More than 70% of our military is at home. We could redistribute as necessary.


http://www.heritage.org/research/nationalsecurity/cda04-11.cfm

Do we really need over 70% of our military at home? Nah. Probably no huge civil unrest will require them.

You can keep ranting aout things you know nothing about. FOREIGN COMMITTMENTS!!! Yea, almost 15% of our military is tied up in those, including Iraq. Big deal.

Not all of our military is really trained for ground operations and insurgencies for instance our Navy and Air Force. I don't think they'd take to kindly to being put on the front lines.

 

[Den Valdron]

According to Wikipedia, the total strength of the US armed forces is about 1.4 million.

Of this, 42,000 are coast guard, they're not going to Iraq.

336,000 are navy.

333,000 are air force.

522,000 are army.

186,000 are marines.

Factor out the coast guard, air force and navy, and this leaves the army and marines. A total of 608,000 available for deployment.

Now, take out 30,000 to 40,000 for a tripwire force in Korea. We're down to about 570,000.

Another 40,000 in Japan. We're down to 530,000.

10,000 in Italy. 520,000

10,000 in the United Kingdom. 510,000

75,000 in Germany. 435,000.

Let's assume 20,000 or less for the the rest of 820 military bases deployed in 39 countries. That takes us down to roughly 415,000.

We've got about 20,000 deployed in Afghanistan. Let's say 395,000.

Lets say another 10,000 in the theatre, Kuwait, Bahrain, etc. 385,000.

Which takes us to 170,000 currently stationned in Iraq as front line troops. Which leaves the army and marines with barely 215,000 left for back up and support functions.

Do you know what that means in Englishi, boys and girls? It means really really screwed.

Of course, there are the reserves, a total of 1.4 million right there, who are being called up and thrown into the meat grinder. But only a fraction of the reservists are available and eligible.

And then there's the National Guard. About 350,000 of them. National Guard deployments constitute 43% of front line forces in Iraq, and 53% of front line forces in Afghanistan.

The trouble with the reserves and National Guard is that they're not actually full time soldiers, didn't sign up to be full time soldiers, and have civilian lives on hold at home. So its not really kosher to backdoor draft them into full time service.

 

[Sims2789]

Well that aint fair, you can oppose a tax cut and several years later see and like the results nonetheless and support continuing the policy.

McCain 1
Obama 0



If it was that easy why dont we do it? I mean, I agree, seems like we got plenty of people on paper so whats the problem? There appears to be a problem...

There's a difference between changing your mind based on seeing that a policy you formerly opposed is successful, and flip-flopping. McCain probably flip-flopped on the tax cuts so that he could win the Republican primary, but it's even worse if he changed his mind because he thinks he made a mistake originally opposing the tax cuts: If he did this, it shows either that he is completely disconnected from the national debt crisis since tax cuts will add a trillion dollars in debt by the time they expire, or it shows that he simply doesn't care about it. I expect more from an alleged fiscal conservative.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Not even 10% of the US military is in Iraq. Spare us the 'not-capable' crap.

Dont forget the 200,000 plus private contractors of which there are 40,000 which are armed security duty personal. ( $425,000 per person per year - figure revealled by blackwater founder )

If manpower isnt a problem how come were subcontracting all these job out ?

 

[Ecofarm]

If manpower isnt a problem how come were subcontracting all these job out ?

To get away with some shady stuff?

Because the average Joe Army does not have the training of the average Blackwater employee (mostly ex-sf and ex-rangers)?

Kickbacks?

I can think of alot of reasons. Let's not limit the scope of causation here.

 

[LightFang]

Good for the man. Good for what he suggests.

 

[Den Valdron]

Because the average Joe Army does not have the training of the average Blackwater employee (mostly ex-sf and ex-rangers)?

ROTFL. Yeah, that must be it.