Posted on 06/30/2005 3:42:19 PM PDT by aynrandfreak
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Several Senate Republicans denounced other lawmakers and the news media on Thursday for unfavorable depictions of the Iraq war and the Pentagon urged members of Congress to talk up military service to help ease a recruiting shortfall.
Families are discouraging young men and women from enlisting "because of all the negative media that's out there," Sen. James Inhofe (news, bio, voting record), an Oklahoma Republican, said at a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Inhofe also said that other senators' criticism of the war contributed to the propaganda of U.S. enemies. He did not name the senators.
Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker urged members of Congress to use "your considerable influence to explain to the American people and to those that are influencers out there how important it is for our young people to serve this nation at a time like this."
The Army on Wednesday said it was 14 percent, or about 7,800 recruits, behind its year-to-date recruitment target even though it exceeded its monthly target in June. With extended deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, recruiting also is down for the National Guard and the Reserves.
"With the deluge of negative news that we get daily, it's just amazing to me that anybody would want to sign up," said Sen. Pat Roberts (news, bio, voting record), a Kansas Republican.
Facing flagging support for the Iraq war that has killed about 1,750 U.S. forces, President Bush in a speech on Tuesday acknowledged the nation's doubts about the strategy but insisted the operation was worthwhile and portrayed Iraq as a key battlefield against terrorists.
Bush himself made a pitch for military service. "We live in freedom because every generation has produced patriots willing to serve a cause greater than themselves. Those who serve today are taking their rightful place among the greatest generations that have worn our nation's uniform," he said.
While Bush has rejected calls for a timetable to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record), the committee chairman, pressed the Pentagon to declassify information on progress of training Iraq's forces, considered a key indicator of when U.S. forces can return home.
"The American taxpayer put a tremendous investment in that retraining and the equipping," Warner said. With that information, he said, "We can better translate where we are in terms of hopefully providing them (Iraqis) with trained individuals and equipment to eventually replace our forces."
Democrats questioned the Pentagon officials on how the Iraq war has strained the military's readiness for other potential conflicts and on delays in providing troops with adequate armor against car bombs and other explosives.
Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), a Massachusetts Democrat, said while Bush urged Americans "to raise flags" in honor of U.S. troops in Iraq, the president did not assure troops "they will have the equipment they need to fight the war, and he should have."
Schoomaker acknowledged up to 25 percent of the Humvees in Iraq still had the low grade of protective armor, but he said all should be equipped with higher grade armor in September.
He also agreed that in some cases the level of readiness of units was below desired levels because of the strain of the Iraq conflict and the Army's efforts to streamline its operations.
In his testimony, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee said readiness for battalion and squadron-sized Marine units had dropped by 40 percent because of the priority put on sustaining units in Iraq at the expense of the units that had rotated out of the war.
U.S. Army ends 4-month recruiting slump in June
29 Jun 2005 21:27:08 GMT
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29309820.htm
WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army, hard pressed to attract new soldiers amid the Iraq war, exceeded its monthly recruiting goal in June, ending four straight months of shortfalls, the top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday.
But the active-duty Army, three-quarters through fiscal 2005, remained 14 percent -- about 7,800 recruits -- behind its year-to-date target and was in danger of missing its first annual recruiting goal since 1999, officials said. Its goal for fiscal 2005, ending on Sept. 30, is 80,000 recruits.
"I will tell you that for the month of June, the United States Army active recruiting is over 100 percent of its goal, which is a turnaround from where they've been the last several months," Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told an audience of Pentagon employees.
"So there's a bit of good news in here. We'll see how it works out the rest of the year," Myers added.
Army officials have been expressing optimism about a recruiting turnaround in the summer months after high school graduates begin to decide on careers.
Myers did not give specific figures, but military officials provided preliminary data showing the active-duty Army exceeded its June recruiting goal of 5,650 by 507 and the Army Reserve, made up of part-time soldiers, topped its June target of 3,610 by 41.
The final numbers for June, set to be released July 11, could be slightly different, officials said.
The Army Reserve remained about 2,350 behind its year-to-date target through the end of June. Its fiscal 2005 goal is 22,175 recruits, officials said.
RECRUITS AND FAMILIES
The Army provides most of the U.S. ground troops in the Iraq war, in which more than 1,730 U.S. troops have been killed, with the Marine Corps providing a lesser number. Army officials have said potential recruits and their families have been wary of service during the Iraq war, and civilian job opportunities also are affecting recruiting.
In May, the active-duty Army lowered its recruiting goal and still missed it by 25 percent. It also fell short in February, March and April.
The Iraq war represents the first test of the all-volunteer U.S. military during a protracted war.
Some defense analysts have argued the United States may have to consider reviving the draft, abolished in 1973 during the tumult of the Vietnam War, if the military is unable to attract sufficient numbers of recruits. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other members of the Bush administration have vigorously opposed the resumption of the draft.
Myers' comments came a day before Army officials were set to testify before Congress about recruiting problems.
Myers noted that re-enlistment among current troops has been solid at the same time that recruiting new soldiers has been a challenge. He said the military has sweetened financial incentives to enlist and added thousands of recruiters.
During his speech to the nation about Iraq on Tuesday night from the Army's Fort Bragg in North Carolina, President George W. Bush delivered a pitch for military service.
"We live in freedom because every generation has produced patriots willing to serve a cause greater than themselves. Those who serve today are taking their rightful place among the greatest generations that have worn our nation's uniform," Bush said.
I like your sense of optimism. The information war is the real war in this case -- this war will be one or lost on perceptions at home, not on the battlefield.
They met their goals for one month, but are still behind for the year to date. The situation is similar, but a little worse, for the Army Reserve and Army National Guard. (The NG probably didn't even meet their one-month goal in June -- they've been having the biggest problems.)
i think the the Guard/Reserve has the biggest trouble because most of their strength usually comes from guys leaving active duty but with all the re-upping going on and Troops switching fron the Guard to Active Duty has hurt them more than anything... IMHO
You have nailed it. Our enemies say the same thing, and the fifth column here, the leftist MSM and its allies, say the same thing in unguarded moments when they make reference to Vietnam.
For them, Americas defeat in Vietnam was their victory and glory, and they wish mightily to repeat it.
It seems to me that the Dims love the idea of recruitment being down. It's all part of their plan to sabotage GW and his war effort. Note Senator Chappaquidick's remarks. This SOB can't muster a positive statement about anything that is in the best interest of our country.
Recruiting targets were hit again in June.
Prior to that the incredible reenlistment rates more than made up for the small shortfalls.
Challenges yes, but the sky is not falling.
According to the Loser Media, the nonsense of Hagel, Lindsey Graham and McCain always trumps the sense of Inhofe, Roberts and Duncan Hunter.
The Democrats have gone long past being the loyal opposition, hopefully more elected officials will support the troops and speak out against the traitors in our midst.
I half agree. I don't think we can lose the war on the battlefield and win the war at home; but we can definitely win the war on the battlefield and lose it at home.
To better help the Army to become better armed and mobile, Senator John Kerry just pledged to lend to the Army without cost part of his vehicles.
Suppose he could help the Navy by going back to complete his enlistment(commission)? He could add to his list of medals quite quickly.
Hey, those SUV's aren't his. They belong to his family.
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