Posted on 11/13/2007 12:05:44 PM PST by Fred
Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson on Tuesday urged more defense spending and a much larger military to shore up what he called major weaknesses in U.S. national security.
In a speech at the Citadel military college in the early primary voting state of South Carolina, Thompson planned to call for a significant boost in the size of the Army to 775,000 troops and the Marine Corps to 225,000 members.
He did not describe how he would pay for the increases in the prepared remarks. The Pentagon already is expanding the Army to 547,000 by 2010 from 482,000 and the Marines to 202,000 from 175,000.
"We have major shortcomings in U.S. defense capabilities. To confront these shortcomings, we must address several key priorities," Thompson said.
"Too many commitments today leave our armed forces capable of meeting too few contingencies tomorrow ... Half-measures and small increases will no longer do."
The U.S. military has had trouble recruiting in recent years, in part because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It now offers cash inducements and has relaxed academic requirements for new recruits.
Thompson is running second behind former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani for the Republican presidential nomination in most recent polls but has been widely criticized for running a lackluster campaign so far.
He won a welcome boost on Tuesday, gaining the endorsement of the National Right to Life Committee, a lobbying group that has led the fight against abortion rights. That might boost him in Iowa which on Jan. 3 holds the first binding vote in the state-by-state presidential nomination battles.
In his speech, Thompson also planned to call for boosting defense spending to 4.5 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, excluding the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That would be up from about 4.1 percent of GDP now, which Thompson says includes money for Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We must begin by rebuilding our military with the full recognition that national security comes at a price," he said.
President George W. Bush on Tuesday signed a $460 billion measure to fund the Pentagon for the 2008 fiscal year that began Oct. 1 and Congress is weighing a separate $196 billion bill to fund the two wars.
Let’s go to 10% of GDP...and scare the krap out of all our enemies...dump all the pork in the budget to support this...
Long overdue. Even assuming that the pre-war size was sufficient, once it was clear that Iraq and Afghanistan would require ongoing use of Reserve and NG, the Regular military should have begun growth to cover those needs. The Reserve and NG are stop-gaps for emergencies, not basic forces, regardless of their competency.
Record vs. Rhetoric. He was part of Team Kerry when it came to the B-2 bomber. I think Ol Zell Miller might have mentioned Kerry in the 2004 convention.
http://duncanhunter2008.us/Hunter-Thompson%20flyer.pdf
I hope he points out that all those who are craving for socialized medicine that the countries that have it do not support a large military. Something the Liberals conveniently leave out.
The draft only we need to come up with some new and fancy word and spin it into favor.
When we had the Army intended to defeat the Soviet Union in open battle in Europe, no one dared to screw with us. Chopping the military so harshly after the Soviet Union collapsed was a critical mistake.
“He was part of Team Kerry when it came to the B-2 bomber”
Fred’s turning out to be another borrow and spend Republican.
Of course we need increased Army and Marines. We should pay for that by dumping the B2, Star Wars Part Deux, and other boondoggles and unnecessary mil programs.
Don Rumsfeld and the mil industrial complex will cry foul, but so what?
“The bigger problem as I see it is where do we find the recruits in today’s America.”
And remind me: Which major conflict did we fight, withOUT the draft?
Just wondering. Then somebody can tell me how worthless the draftees were, in those conflicts, etc., etc.
Note—just to make recruitment goals in recent years, they have resorted to waivers on such criteria as education and prior convictions.
Is the US military no longer able to train effective members, from a broad cross section of the American population, as before? I would say that would partly be a shortcoming of the military, compared to their past capabilities and performance.
Fred, That’s a great graph. I tried to pick it off the web site, but the link is gone. Do you have another source? Please advise. Thanks.
What service did he serve. I have a hard time with a person speaking about something he has no idea about. Duncan please get out there and help Fred. Well I guess Bill and Fred do have something in common...no service to their country.
I see, being a Senator is not service to your country?
Thanks! Saved and ready to send to libs I know.
Actually, I would tout his service as an assistant U.S. attorney, as well as Senate counsel in Watergate and his private practice work of exposing government corruption in Tennessee.
Not all who serve wear a uniform.
“There is nothing in his record or in his current statements and policy positions that would support such a slanderous statement on your part!”
Does he explain here how else he is going to pay for these increases in defense spending?
If he attached suspicion to at least just one spending boondoggle, say Star Wars Part Deux, he would be hailed as another Eisenhower, relatively.
The military draft during WWII, except in the final months, was designed to keep certain men (those with critical defense-industry skills) *out* of the military. The problem, initially, was that too many men were volunteering for duty.
Lawmaker backs 19-year aircraft project that has yet to fly
Local Congressman's Plane Project Grounded
Duncan Hunter: Never Mind What the Navy Says, This Plane is AWESOME
And last but certainly not least:
Cunningham helped Hunter push for locally made jet
Dang there's that Duke Cunningham connection again...
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