U.S. military readiness for war, competitive edge worsening: officials

REUTERS ^ | Andrea Shalal and David Alexander

[kearnyirish2]

In this day and age a lot of the spending is makework; what is an ADDITONAL aircraft carrier going to do that the others can’t (in conjunction with the other advanced weapons we have)?

The fact is that if we are going to model our economy after Europe’s socialism, we can’t have guns AND butter.

[snowrip]

Yawn. This has been going on since BJ Clinton was president, and only slowed under Bush The Gutless.

Wonder if Rooters has any other old news.

[mcshot]

That’s equivalent to blanket time in kindergarten,

[Rome2000]

What always amazes me is that the military has the power to force the degenerate DC politicians to do whatever is necessary to ensure national security.

In light of the fact that the politicians have no problem with spending lives and hundreds of billions of dollars to achieve a goal, only to turn around on a dime and bail out, letting the ENEMY retake the territory and in effect WASTING THE LIVES, LIMBS, AND MENTAL HEALTH OF OUR MILITARY AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR NOTHING!

Civilian control of the military is highly overrated, and it’s time to rethink leaving the security of the USA in the hands of CPUSA operatives elected by demented parasites.

[cva66snipe]

If someone enlisted twenty years ago and has stayed in the entire time on active duty they have not seen neither a congress nor POTUS who would step up for them and give them the manpower and equipment support needed to do the job.

Warning after warning of readiness issues have been sounded for over two decades. They fall on deaf ears. The band-aid solutions have been program cuts, enlistment obligation from the long standing 4/2 3/3 formula for an enlistment to if I heard right an eight year obligation even for first hitch recruits.

As well the dependency upon the Branch reserves and National Guard has reached a ridiculous level which if not corrected will destroy the program and private sector support employers have given.

Both parties share blame in this. 2001-2008 was the golden opportunity to restore our military to a needed level. It went ignored. As well the GOP congress under Clinton did not help matters either. I wish our elected leaders in the nations capitol would put as much devotion into action for our troops as they do their interest in China and other nations interest which isn't in our best interest but appeases their corporate donors.

With the foreign policy damage this administration has done even to our once solid allies, and the decline in readiness, we are being set up for WW3.

[Olog-hai]

The military isn’t in control of the civilians insofar as the political elites are not quite the average “civilian”.

Sun Tzu did warn in “The Art Of War” to not allow oneself (as a general) to become a mercenary of the ruler either way.

[Rome2000]

Exactly

This type of OUTRAGE should never happen again.

It's obvious that the POLITICAL CLASS has NO RESPECT for the military.

It's high time they be taught a lesson.

[cva66snipe]

I know that Army combat readiness is about as bad as it was during the Carter years and soldier morale is in the toilet- but we do have rainbow and feminine diversity to tack up the slack.

The Carter years were bad but not like what is being allowed today. A few things different was although Carter was a sorry POTUS military wise he was handed a mess. The downturn began under Ford under Sec of Defense Rummy. I got to my ship in about early to mid Feb 1977. Issues like morale and discipline were already happening. The daily muster sheets showing AWOL was high and there were lots of desertions because Rummy began a policy of if you want out just go and report somewhere else 31 days later for your out. Lots of Vets in that era do not have Honorable DC's.

Despite the problems we maintained a two carrier group presence in the Mediterranean Sea no acceptations I was aware of. The ships passed all readiness inspections and were deployable. Break downs? Oh yeah they happened. In 1979 we lost an entire boiler room and a generator and switchboard. The screws kept turning. A feedwater line to the boilers ruptured and hosed the switchboard. It melted. That was our worse machinery causality during Carter years on my ship.

Some things did get fixed despite Carter. One was retention being addressed. Everyone including 16 year lifers wanted out. It took serious bonuses and next rank to get first time hitches to re-up. In 1977 there were no Bosuns Whistles heard. There was a dysfunctional dress blue uniform for enlisted that looked like the officers. It was impossible to stow properly in ship.

By 1979 the walk off policy was ended. If you walked they brought you back tacking on bad time plus about 30 days Brig and a less than Honorable plus having to still do the obligation. The Bosuns Whistle came back as did a traditional Cracker Jack uniform.

Things were slowly turning around. But I will say this. The last year I was in we were in drydock and I moved off ship to a private apartment shared with a Deckape buddy. We went from six section duty to three. Meaning every third night you stayed onboard ship with no place to sleep. The in port work day went from 0700-1530 to 0700-sometime that evening as in about chow time. A lot of work that was supposed to have been done by the yards was turned over to us. Some of it beyond our skills.

The going retention bonus for a Snipe in 1980 was about $15-$18K for six more years and next rank. At least two years was to be shore duty and it was in writing. I got out instead. By late 1982 the economy in my town went sour due to a failed Worlds Fair and two major bank failures. Not even MickeyD had work. I talked to a recruiter about going back in. The once undermanned critical rating I was in was manned. He couldn't offer anything but getting back in one rank lower. In less than two years it turned around under Reagan.

W made a very huge mistake when he appointed Rummy as Sec of Def again in 2001. His first tenure under Ford should have been his last.