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2007-08-19 Home Front: Politix

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Posted by Sherry 2007-08-19 14:21|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 wishful thinking by the Grauniad

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-08-19 15:06|| 2007-08-19 15:06|| Front Page Top

#2 "Only a third of the regular army's brigades now qualify as combat-ready."

Well DUH! Why would the Army have more 'combat-ready' units than they need for, well, COMBAT. This is USA standard. 1/3 deployed, 1/3 just back from deploying and 1/3 readying to deploy.

Posted by Brett 2007-08-19 15:28|| 2007-08-19 15:28|| Front Page Top

#3 Did Webb or Murtha write this screed?

Posted by Phinater Thraviger 2007-08-19 15:59|| 2007-08-19 15:59|| Front Page Top

#4 And even with the fatigued soldiers and worn-out equipment, we are push Al-Q out of any safe havens they have in Iraq.
What amazes me is that the Media finds it news that soldiers are tired after combat missions. Well, duh!!! Combat is extremely stressful and tiring; hell, just patrolling in all that gear in the summer temperature of Iraq is exhausting.
And as for the wear and tear on the equipment, that is why you buy it - to use it. Of course, the fact that the US is also replacing entire series of equipment with new and different equipment {HUMMERs with MRAPs} while at the same time destroying the enemy is carefully glossed over.
I also notice that none of the supposed bitching soldiers in the one paragraph are named : how do we know if they actually said what Al-Grauniad purports or if they even exist? There is NO way to fact check the article when the writer carefully avoids using names - guess the TNR debacle is having an impact.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2007-08-19 16:23|| 2007-08-19 16:23|| Front Page Top

#5 The solution is Tea Time at 11 and 4 each and every day, no matter what.

Posted by ed 2007-08-19 16:31|| 2007-08-19 16:31|| Front Page Top

#6 Tired soldiers, wanting the damn war to end. I for one am stunned by this.

Posted by Thomas Woof 2007-08-19 16:35|| 2007-08-19 16:35|| Front Page Top

#7 Great disinformation. Thanks to Kerry and al-G for letting al-Q know they are getting whipped by the least educated most under equipped Americans avaialble. But I am sure this will all turn around on a dime upon the coronation of Her Royal Thighness, Hilary!

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2007-08-19 16:47|| 2007-08-19 16:47|| Front Page Top

#8 A really big question, and one not as obvious as it might seem, is "What are the troops *doing* in Iraq?"

Everybody assumes that *all* military personnel are fighting; then, when they think about it, they realize that the vast majority involved in combat operations are actually *supporting* those relative few who are doing the actual fighting. A lot of those support jobs are not high stress.

However, we need to realize that their are a LOT of military personnel in Iraq who are not directly involved in doing either fighting *or* direct support for the fighters.

They are doing other things. And the big question is "What other things?"

For example, the US military is deeply involved in construction projects of all kinds in Iraq, several thousand of them in progress right now.

They are also very engaged in "external security". For example, manning Patriot anti-missile batteries against Iran.

Then you have IA and police trainers. Administrative liaisons all over the place, to coordinate with the Iraqi government and US State Department and other non-military organizations.

But the numbers of such personnel really start to add up. And it doesn't even count those who are not in Iraq proper, but in the region and the Navy.

In truth, this doesn't diminish the fatigue or stress of combat and many combat support personnel. But it does show that the numbers of those affected may be far less than the military as a whole.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-08-19 18:31|| 2007-08-19 18:31|| Front Page Top

#9 Officers educated at the elite West Point academy are leaving at a rate not seen in 30 years, with the consequence that the US army has a shortfall of 3,000 commissioned officers - and the problem is expected to worsen.

Unless things have changed drastically in the last dozen or so years, most new lieutenant get their commission from other than West Point. Most officers use to come from the ROTC programs.

As for the 3,000 shortfall. Let's remember that Congress only got around to authorizing an [temporary] additional 20,000 troops from a pre-war standing of around 480,000. That means you're going to be short on officers for time being till the system can catch up, not only for the direct fills but for the factors of normal turnover.

Another game of Three Card Monty with facts.

Posted by Procopius2k 2007-08-19 18:52|| 2007-08-19 18:52|| Front Page Top

#10 As of 2000, Academy grads made up 17% of new officers and officers and 55% came from ROTC. Overall, 16.7% of all active duty army officers are USMA grads and 59.7 of were commissioned via ROTC.

Don't know what the proportions are for the reserves and guard.

Source: defenselink.mil

Posted by lotp 2007-08-19 20:24|| 2007-08-19 20:24|| Front Page Top

#11 WRT to the officer shortage, it is real. But not for the reasons that the useful idiots are implying.

Having just graduated OCS myself, it is because making it into the officer ranks is hard. According to my classmates who have at least one deployment prior to OCS, OCS was more stressful than being shot at. I found this to be true also. The washout rate in my class was 43%.

Of course, I went thru the accelerated program. Would you beleive I am a 60 day wonder. They cut out non-essentials like weekends off, sleeping and eating.

Posted by N Guard 2007-08-19 22:06|| 2007-08-19 22:06|| Front Page Top

#12 Congratulations, N Guard! With officers like you, we'll do just fine. My mother did three years of high school in six months like that; she said the promise of a diploma and sleep at the end kept her going.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-08-19 22:36|| 2007-08-19 22:36|| Front Page Top

#13 N Guard -- it's voices like yours that I kept waiting for in reply to this article. Thank you --- 60 day wonder in my mind, WOW -- congrats, you deserve these congrats for your achievement, cause it is surely your achievement. Job well done... and thank you.

At least once a day, kinda nod your head sideways and down, and feel a little presence on your left shoulder. (I like hiding on that left shoulder.) Kinda smile and know, that presence you feel, is not only me, I'll be there everyday, rooting you on, but all your unknown friends at Rantburg and other Americans, wishing you well. Staying close to you, so you stay close with us.

Posted by Sherry">Sherry 2007-08-19 23:00|| 2007-08-19 23:00|| Front Page Top

#14 Somewhat OT...
Went through a quick-cooker program in another field, back in the old country. There was a lack of contract programmers (1980, a first sign that paracapitalistics tendencies started to appear in the economy afer the 1968 experiment was squashed by Rusin invasion), so the company tha neded them invited about 300 people that were working already in puters--operators and such. After giving us IBM aptitude tests, 300 shrunk to 60. A 3-months program that contained 4 years of Tech U followed. Just puters and programming, no poli-sci, marxism-wankism. 7:00 to 20:00, with 15 minute break for a lunch. Sunday off. 15 people finished (the rest dropped out) and after final exams (design 4 different programs in 4 lingos and perform a viva voce defense, with a proof), 6 new programmers were hatched, me one of them. Not that I was somehow a rather bright lad, I was just focused, and the job promised degree of flexibility unheard off at the time behind Iron Curtain. But the main reason I wanted to go through the program was that I already had my escape form behind th Iron Curtain on a drawing board n thought tht new kill set may prove to be rather handy at my final destination. I had several contingencies... the fun part was that one of the programs for my final exam, written in Fortran, calculated the size and shape (including stripes) of a hot air baloon, for a load of 240kg, elevation of 700m and distance of 60 km. The examiners got curious where I got the idea, I mumbled something about just usual type of curiosity that was my trait and that I saw something on TV wich gave me the inspiration. ;-)

Not sure I would be keen to repeat that kind of load and experience, but I was still a kid (late 20's) thus not as rusty as I am now.

Of course, the learning never stopped, but it goes on at much slower and relaxed pace.

Posted by twobyfour 2007-08-19 23:34|| 2007-08-19 23:34|| Front Page Top

#15 Congrats NGuard!

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-08-19 23:37|| 2007-08-19 23:37|| Front Page Top

23:37 Frank G
23:34 twobyfour
23:25 Red Dawg
23:16 Red Dawg
23:07 RD
23:00 Sherry
22:58 Sgt. Mom
22:49 gromgoru
22:36 trailing wife
22:36 BA
22:29 BA
22:08 BA
22:06 N Guard
22:06 Grunter
21:49 Zenster
21:49 Pappy
21:43 Pappy
21:42 Grunter
21:18 Pappy
21:10 SteveS
21:03 smn
21:02 3dc
20:58 3dc
20:49 smn