Army Reserve overextended, general says

"Let them eat cake." ---Cheney and generals dig in.


Fact: Bush lied about WMD in Iraq to rush to war. Fact: Bush couldn't convince the world to support his war with Iraq and thus he forced America to bear the brunt of its commitment in troops and money. Fact: Bush ignored pleas before going to war by military leaders asking to send more troops to deal with the occupation. Fact: insurgent attacks increased during the occupation as was originally warned. Fact: Bush sent more troops (increased Reserve troops to fill gaps) and then he recalled them, then he sent them back. Fact: insurgent attacks increased steadily since Bush declared "Mission Accomplished." Fact: the Reserves have become a backdoor draft. Fact: Bush taunted the insurgents with "Bring it on!" Fact: Bush extended the tour of duty of troops in Iraq to deal with shortages. Fact: in the meantime the Reserves were not being properly trained and equipped for the war. Fact: the Reserves have begun to break down. Fact: the Pentagon is frantically observing the number of re-enlistments and new enlistments fall drastically below the projected needs in the Reserves. Fact: other branches of the military are beginning to show a drop in enlistment.

Fact: Bush was totally unprepared for the realities of war in Iraq.

Do you have a son coming into draft age in the next ten years as the Pentagon deals with increasing troop shortages while tied to military commitments in Iraq and around the world?


Chicago Tribune
Army Reserve overextended, general says

Wed Jan 5, 9:40 AM ET

By Tom Bowman Tribune Newspapers: The Baltimore Sun

The Army Reserve, a force of some 200,000 part-time soldiers who provide key support in Iraq and Afghanistan with medics, engineers and truck drivers, "is rapidly degenerating into a `broken' force," its top general has told senior Army leaders.

Lt. Gen. James "Ron" Helmly, the chief of the Army Reserve, in a blunt and detailed memo cited the demands of overseas commitments and the unwillingness of Army and Pentagon officials to change "dysfunctional" policies that are hampering the Army Reserve on issues ranging from training and extension of service time to the mobilization of his soldiers.

The Dec. 20 memo, obtained by The Baltimore Sun, said that in meeting the "current demands" of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army Reserve is in "grave danger" of being unable to meet other missions in Pentagon contingency plans or help with domestic emergencies "and is rapidly degenerating into a `broken' force."

"The purpose of this memorandum is to inform you of the Army Reserve's inability to meet mission requirements" in Iraq and Afghanistan "and to reset and regenerate its forces for follow-on and future missions," Helmly wrote in the eight-page memo sent through Army channels for the Army's chief of staff, Gen. Peter Schoomaker. "I do not wish to sound alarmist. I do wish to send a clear, distinctive signal of deepening concern."

Interviewed Tuesday at the Pentagon, Helmly said, "I stand by the memorandum. Is there frustration? Absolutely. Is the frustration beyond control? No."

Policy reform sought

The memo was designed as a frank exchange with Army leaders in advance of upcoming congressional hearings, said Helmly, adding that he planned to press ahead with reforms for the long-term health of the Army Reserve.

Helmly would not discuss the specific officials who declined to support policy changes, though he said in one instance political pressure from Congress led to a roadblock.

A senior Army official who requested anonymity said Tuesday that unexpected troop requirements in Iraq led to the problems outlined by Helmly. The active-duty forces needed there continually rose over the past year, requiring an increased number of Reserve soldiers to provide support.

In May 2003, before the insurgency sharply increased, some 8,000 Army Reserve soldiers in Iraq were sent home, only to be recalled to duty three months later.

The 150,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq include about 30,000 Army Reserve soldiers serving in Iraq and Kuwait.

The senior official said "we were still able to field the forces we needed" and were reluctant to change policies that would burden soldiers and their families. Now with Iraq expected to hold down a sizable number of U.S. soldiers for several years, some of those policies will have to be changed, the official said.

"I think some will be changed. I think some have to be changed," he said, adding that he expected Schoomaker and Army Secretary Francis Harvey to discuss the issues with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The private and unvarnished assessment by Helmly echoes the concerns of other officers, defense analysts and some members of Congress, who have predicted that the burdens of overseas missions could begin to fray the all-volunteer U.S. military. Both the National Guard and Army Reserve are experiencing a recruiting slump, although the Army is meeting its goals.

`Spread too thin'

"The general consensus is the Army's spread too thin," said Charles Moskos, a longtime military sociologist at Northwestern University. He has traveled to Iraq and heard complaints from reservists that included a lack of adequate training and equipment. "The Reserve and Guard are not treated equally with the other services."

Moskos said the problems outlined by Helmly need to be addressed by some type of commission that is independent of the Pentagon.

Helmly is a Vietnam War combat veteran who served two tours and received a Bronze Star for valor. He has earned a reputation as a no-nonsense leader during 2 1/2 years as the top Army Reserve officer. But he has irritated the Pentagon's hierarchy in the past year with pessimistic talk about recruiting and retention at a time when the military's leadership has tried to be more upbeat.

In his memo, Helmly cited the Pentagon's requirement to leave a large amount of Army Reserve equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan for other services and contractors. He also criticized policies that delay training of reservists who have returned home from overseas duty, citing them among "peacetime" personnel policies that need to change.