Article

2005-06-06 Iraq-Jordan

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Posted by Steve 2005-06-06 11:02|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Those "50,000 excess sailors" could easily be used to fill the ranks of an enormous and relatively inexpensive littoral fleet. Much like the PT boats of WWII, expendable littoral craft can be built modularly, then shipped to forward positions for storage, then assembled rapidly. Properly designed, they are like a Humvee, with any number of configurations: heavy MG patrol boat, mortar/rocket/artillery/AAA platform, rapid recce (with a souped-up engine), minelaying/antimine, anti-submarine, interdiction, insertion & denial, etc. Assembled in an ordinary port, not even a 'deep-water' port, once they are launched, they are on mission 24/7, needing only RRR. There is no need to preserve them, their lifespan is programmed to be short. Cheap, cheerful and very, very effective.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-06-06 11:34|| 2005-06-06 11:34|| Front Page Top

#2 I'm ready to sign up, do you think a used-up,overweight, surly,drunken Irishman in his mid 30's can get into the elite counter-insurgency force as an officer?

Posted by bigjim-ky 2005-06-06 11:59|| 2005-06-06 11:59|| Front Page Top

#3 Maybe they should quit publicly prosecuting everyone that hurts the enemy during a war. Maybe they should get rid of the guys(ACLU,AI) that are rooting for the insurgency. Just a thought, probably won't happen.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2005-06-06 12:12|| 2005-06-06 12:12|| Front Page Top

#4 The way you get more volunteers is to offer more money. There is no shortage of volunteers, usually men with military experience, to take civilian security jobs in Iraq. These volunteers get paid at least three times what the troops get, and that makes a big difference.
It's obvious that we need to pay soldiers significantly more, both non combat and combat. Offering them better life insurance policies or better VA care or better educational opportunities 6 years later is not going to cut it these days. If fat butted, lazy real estate agents can earn 6 figure salaries for doing nothing, if illiterate journalists earn the same as real estate agents writing yellow eyed pieces about the war from their desks state side, then I have no problem increasing soldiers salaries even if it means I need to pay War Taxes to do so. We suffer no inconvenience whatsoever while 2 wars are being waged because soldiers are being paid less than they would get delivering pizzas and I think that needs to change if we want to attract proper numbers of enlistees long term.

Posted by Omeper Slumble4385 2005-06-06 14:08|| 2005-06-06 14:08|| Front Page Top

#5 Improving pay and the support systems for troops and their families would go a very long way toward helping people choose to serve in the military.

Posted by Tkat 2005-06-06 14:16|| 2005-06-06 14:16|| Front Page Top

#6 Of course the answer is more money. Supply and demand.

Posted by someone 2005-06-06 14:46|| 2005-06-06 14:46|| Front Page Top

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