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2003-09-30 Home Front

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Posted by Steve 2003-09-30 9:20:28 AM|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I've served in both the Active military and in the Reserves. My uncle was the Sergeant Major for an Army National Guard unit that's currently on active duty in Iraq. As a retiree, I'm also plugged into the local gossip here in Co. Springs. I've been listening to a LOT of speculation along these lines. Unfortunately, there's no clear concensus of what MAY happen in the future.

Some of the Guard and Reserve units see the Iraq and Afghanistan demands as the biggest affirmation of their commitment to the United States that could ever be expressed. Quite a few of those who have been deployed and have returned to CONUS admit readily they learned far more about their specilaty by participating in what they classify (and which I have to agree) is a strong combat role. There is a portion of these soldiers that signed up to be weekend warriors, or for the educational benefits, or because it impressed their bosses, and had no expectation of ever being deployed. The majority of these people will leave - their ideal of what Reserve/Guard duty has been shattered, and they want no part of war. Some will stay, having developed a sense of pride and patriotism that cannot be denied, and who feel they're doing something for their nation above and beyond the simple demands of citizenship. There's also a group in the middle - not only in the non-active components, but in the active forces as well - that are going to be doing some serious soul-searching. They will have to decide whether they want to make a serious commitment to military service, or if their lives should lead them elsewhere.

Right now, we're forced to rely too heavily on Reserve and Guard units, because the Active force was cut too severely, and too quickly. The Government also needs to make a commitment - to developing an armed force that can support this nation's role in world affairs, whatever that role may be. Right now, we're about two active divisions and a few air wings short. The Navy has too few ships to both patrol sea lanes and support deployments overseas, especially extended deployments. Our President and Congress will both have to do some serious planning, and commit to the level of miitary might we NEED. That means a fight over funds. The Democratic Party faces a dilema - they're going to have to cut social spending and transfer that money to military commitments, and they're going to have to reverse themselves on some of the social experiments they've forced on the military, or they're going to become irrelevant. This nation needs a strong two- (or more) party political system in order to meet the needs of all citizens. It also needs a political concensus that the military will be funded at an adequate level to meet the requirements the president and congress have saddled them to meet.

I think this coming presidential campaign is going to get "very interesting".

Posted by Old Patriot 2003-9-30 11:00:04 AM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2003-9-30 11:00:04 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Old Patriot's right on the money. We need to define our mission better. Everything can't be a priority. The WOT I understand and fully support (obviously). Nation building is a messy business though. This was something the president didn't want to get into initially. Hopefully Iraq & Afghanistan will be the exception rather then the rule. We also need a third party - the partisan politics are so far old it's pathetic and hurting our country. Some of the politicos act like third grade kids.

Posted by Jarhead 2003-9-30 11:20:04 AM|| 2003-9-30 11:20:04 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 In a perfect word.... what additional active duty force (Army) is needed? A couple of Brigades? A couple of light Divsions?

Posted by Shipman 2003-9-30 1:01:31 PM|| 2003-9-30 1:01:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 Perfect world... perfect word causes corel to die.

Posted by Shipman 2003-9-30 1:02:32 PM|| 2003-9-30 1:02:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 A volunteer force drawn from the Democracy it protects is the very best insurance against adventurism. This kind of worrying about being able to retain people to have an effective force is desirable: you do not "waste" people like these on irrelevant missions.

One of these days, the Left is going to figure that out, and is going to start verbally attacking individual military personnel, hoping to discourage them from resigning, and to discourage others from signing up. Ironically, the strictures put on them by the principle of civilian control of the military prevents them from responding. Thus, it will be up to us, as citizens, to step in and confront the lefties when we see them jeering our military men.

Posted by Ptah 2003-9-30 5:43:34 PM|| [http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2003-9-30 5:43:34 PM|| Front Page Top

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