Mephisto
Philosopher
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2005
- Messages
- 6,064
There is no safety in today's National Guard. Today's national guard troops as well as the Reserves don't have the luxury of sitting out a war. Many units have seen more combat than similar units in the 60s and 70s. There is no "safe-haven" any longer whereby sons of politicians and the rich can sit out combat - please think about them on Veteran's Day.
Nat'l Guard Units Face 2nd Tours in Iraq
Nov 10, 8:51 PM (ET)
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon is developing plans that for the first time would send entire National Guard combat brigades back to Iraq for a second tour, the Guard's top general said in the latest sign of how thinly stretched the military has become.
Smaller units and individual troops from the Guard have already returned to Iraq for longer periods, and some active duty units have served multiple tours. Brigades generally have about 3,500 troops.
The move - which could include brigades from North Carolina, Florida, Arkansas and Indiana - would force the Pentagon to make the first large-scale departure from its previous decision not to deploy reserves for more than a cumulative 24 months in Iraq.
For some units, a second tour would mean they would likely exceed that two-year maximum. The planning was described by Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, who commands the Guard, in an Associated Press interview this week.
In a related move, the Pentagon is preparing to release a list of active units - and perhaps reserves as well - scheduled to go to Iraq that would largely maintain the current level of forces there over the next two years, another senior defense official said on Thursday. There are about 152,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.
That official requested anonymity because the plan has not been made public. The Pentagon routinely notifies units to prepare for deployment, knowing it is easier to cancel a move overseas than to suddenly make such a large troop movement.
It was not clear whether this week's resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld would affect deployment plans. President Bush has selected former CIA chief Robert Gates, who has criticized U.S. policy in Iraq, to replace Rumsfeld, but he has not yet been confirmed by the Senate.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061111/D8LAIPEG0.html
Nat'l Guard Units Face 2nd Tours in Iraq
Nov 10, 8:51 PM (ET)
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon is developing plans that for the first time would send entire National Guard combat brigades back to Iraq for a second tour, the Guard's top general said in the latest sign of how thinly stretched the military has become.
Smaller units and individual troops from the Guard have already returned to Iraq for longer periods, and some active duty units have served multiple tours. Brigades generally have about 3,500 troops.
The move - which could include brigades from North Carolina, Florida, Arkansas and Indiana - would force the Pentagon to make the first large-scale departure from its previous decision not to deploy reserves for more than a cumulative 24 months in Iraq.
For some units, a second tour would mean they would likely exceed that two-year maximum. The planning was described by Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, who commands the Guard, in an Associated Press interview this week.
In a related move, the Pentagon is preparing to release a list of active units - and perhaps reserves as well - scheduled to go to Iraq that would largely maintain the current level of forces there over the next two years, another senior defense official said on Thursday. There are about 152,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.
That official requested anonymity because the plan has not been made public. The Pentagon routinely notifies units to prepare for deployment, knowing it is easier to cancel a move overseas than to suddenly make such a large troop movement.
It was not clear whether this week's resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld would affect deployment plans. President Bush has selected former CIA chief Robert Gates, who has criticized U.S. policy in Iraq, to replace Rumsfeld, but he has not yet been confirmed by the Senate.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061111/D8LAIPEG0.html
Is plain old venom ok? I note you don't complain about the venom directed at George Bush so I guess you only have a problem with the deceit, right?
