US Army Reserve in trouble

Call of duty
The US Army Reserve is degenerating into a broken force due to dysfunctional military policies, its top general has warned.

In an eight page memo to the Army Chief of Staff, General Peter Schoomaker, made public on Wednesday, Lieutenant-General James Helmly also complained that military leaders had rebuffed his suggestions for improvement.

The Army Reserve is a force of 200,000 part-time soldiers who opted not to sign up for the active-duty army but can be mobilised from their civilian lives in times of national need.

About 52,000 Army Reserve soldiers are on active duty, with 17,000 in Iraq and 2000 in Afghanistan.

The memo's purpose was to inform the Army Chief of Staff of the Reserve's "inability - under current policies, procedures and practices governing mobilisation, training and reserve component manpower management - to meet mission requirements for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," wrote Helmly.

source: www.aljazeera.net

Uh oh, fox news has it too.

Thats when you really know its broken!

www.foxnews.com...

the only reason us army is broken cause the former president clinton took as many post and shut them down. closing most of them. he want a one world im sure he'll get his way soon enough. by making us small he opened it up for the worse.

Other links:
news.ft.com...
Reuters
www.boston.com...
Boston Globe
There are more!

I just wanted to add these because aljazeera guts such a bad rap from so many here.

Great story, should be commented on and moved to ATSNN

*edit to add-
do things EVER quit being Clinton's fault?


[edit on 6-1-2005 by JoeDoaks]

Originally posted by JoeDoaks
Other links:
news.ft.com...
Reuters
www.boston.com...
Boston Globe
There are more!

I just wanted to add these because aljazeera guts such a bad rap from so many here.

Great story, should be commented on and moved to ATSNN

*edit to add-
do things EVER quit being Clinton's fault?




Not when it is! do ur research he most definitely ripped the military apart and everything it stood for. even took out the starwars system which was put there by presdent reagan to protect the us from incoming missles. no longer there now. bases after bases was shut down under clinton reign.

[edit on 6-1-2005 by JoeDoaks]

Originally posted by JoeDoaks
I just wanted to add these because aljazeera guts such a bad rap from so many here.
Great story, should be commented on and moved to ATSNN

thanks for posting other links.

well this other news sources just proove that aljazeera is just like any other news agencies. i just wanted to proove to you, that the news are reported correctly and that they are not "making stuff up".

Originally posted by Souljah
well this other news sources just proove that aljazeera is just like any other news agencies. i just wanted to proove to you, that the news are reported correctly and that they are not "making stuff up".

Well I wouldn't go so far as to put Al Jazeera in the same league as Fox News, not quite yet. In this particular instance they reported (copied) the news in a fairly impartial manner; that is not their regular mode of operation.

This GENERAL needs to be put in jail. If you read this "memo" he is saying that paying the reserve soldiers $1,000/month to go to Iraq is making the army into "mercenaries". This guy has no business being in charge of anything. He is a PC general. He needs to be thrown out into the street.

Originally posted by DrHoracid
This GENERAL needs to be put in jail.
This guy has no business being in charge of anything.
He is a PC general.
He needs to be thrown out into the street.

why?
he just pointed out that things in you army are not what they seem to the outside, that situation is far from "perfect" and that somebody should really think about the next move in this "war on terror", since it is taking a big blow to your people!

�US Army Reserve Readiness Discussion, Past Dysfunctional Practices/Policies�. The Pentagon, maintaining higher-than-expected troop levels after failing to anticipate that a bloody guerrilla war would follow the downfall of President Saddam Hussein in 2003, has relied heavily on army reserve and army national guard soldiers. These part-time troops comprise about 40 per cent of the US force in Iraq.

They need to get that general out of there. He is among those who keep the war machine running. It will not be long before the draft is brought back and may happen in July of 2005.

[edit on 6-1-2005 by FLYIN HIGH]

Originally posted by FLYIN HIGH
They need to get that general out of there. He is among those who keep the war machine running. It will not be long before the draft is brought back and may happen in July of 2005.

[edit on 6-1-2005 by FLYIN HIGH]

This is the kind of "Brass A$$" that will make a "Draft" happen. He does not seem to like a "well paid" army. His memo is more a bitch about paying too much and creating a "mercenary" force. What the hell have armies been for thousands of years?

CNN has this article. I can't help but to read between the lines. It sounds like the ground work is further being laid for a draft...

Sadly, the writing is on the wall

www.cnn.com...

Press releases like these amount to little more than arguments for a new draft system.

I truly believe, in the pit of my stomach; this is not about some "Isolated Generals / Brass".

No, I think this is just the window dressing to a cold, calculating effort by many of our leaders to paint a dire face on voluntary service and eventually reinstate the draft.

Most people would not just willingly accept a draft, not just "liberal hippies" lime me(which I am neither but have been labeled). No, most individuals who are voluntarily serving in the armed forces don't want a draft as much as us so-called hippies.

They've spent their time in enlistment hearing the 20+ year "lifers" hand down stories about how ineffective the draftees were during vietnam, and some would say rightfully so.

This isn't just about a few top brass. This is an effort to condition the general public and enlisted base that a draft is crucial.

When they do start up the draft you can rest assured that it'll be "New and Improved" over the vietnam-era system. Hell, they'll make such a case for how it's changed that your usual suspects(like Mr. Horacid / Grady etc) will think it's the best thing since sliced bread.

But the reality will be that it's just like any other forced servitude, it's frankly, it's bullsh*t, and there will be those(like me) who will resist it.

X

Originally posted by Xatnys
Press releases like these amount to little more than arguments for a new draft system.

I truly believe, in the pit of my stomach; this is not about some "Isolated Generals / Brass".

No, I think this is just the window dressing to a cold, calculating effort by many of our leaders to paint a dire face on voluntary service and eventually reinstate the draft.

Most people would not just willingly accept a draft, not just "liberal hippies" lime me(which I am neither but have been labeled). No, most individuals who are voluntarily serving in the armed forces don't want a draft as much as us so-called hippies.

They've spent their time in enlistment hearing the 20+ year "lifers" hand down stories about how ineffective the draftees were during vietnam, and some would say rightfully so.

This isn't just about a few top brass. This is an effort to condition the general public and enlisted base that a draft is crucial.

When they do start up the draft you can rest assured that it'll be "New and Improved" over the vietnam-era system. Hell, they'll make such a case for how it's changed that your usual suspects(like Mr. Horacid / Grady etc) will think it's the best thing since sliced bread.

But the reality will be that it's just like any other forced servitude, it's frankly, it's bullsh*t, and there will be those(like me) who will resist it.

X

As one of the "unusual suspects" a draft would suck. Incentives are better. Like that $350 mil being wasted in "child molester land". Give it to the troops first.

I think some are misinformed about how much troops get. I know a reservist who was a payroll clerk and she banked about 30k more than she normally makes a year, just for being in Bharain...not even in combat... Maybe that's an odd case, not sure, but most I know who came back from over there, have had plenty of extra money to throw around...

I don't want to be snippy, but:
lonewolf
starwars? So what- it was a smoke screen anyway.
The American military as with most will grow until it either devours its own society or collapses from it's own inertia.
Granted Clinton was not military friendly, but Bush 2 has had more than four (4) years. During previous four year periods the United States (America) fought a civil war, fought the Spanish-American War, fought WWI, fought WWII, fought it's Korean War-

Blame only goes so far into the past. Bush 2 didn't do what he needed to do during his first four years for the military he wanted. It is HIS fault- he is in charge. Buck it up, no one stood at the wheel but him.

jsobecky, I agree. Aljazeera is not in the same league as Fox News- Aljazeera is front line and reports the other side to stories. Both 'editorialize.

DrHorcid, this is the same general that not too long back was bragging about how well the US troops were doing. Must be a Kerry-man, flip/flop

I do agree with Souljah on the general, the man (general) is entitled to his opinion. It is a free-speech country still, right?

Flying, Dr and Serum sad but you might be right on the draft. If America comes up with something but doesn't use the 'd' word (draft) will the political fallout be the same?

Draftees end up being treated as nothing more than bullet stoppers. The Veterans Administration fluctuates between benign neglect and downright avoidance. If the V.A. won't care for disabled vets, then who?

Xantys casts a pale of doom on all this news story. Yet may be entirely right. (Lifers do ALWAYS complain about short timers= draftees).

You posters seem to feel a draft is coming- I wish the American people well on this. With modern mass communications things might be different this go.

Gaz hits a good point. American troops have plenty of $$ incentive. Also, isn't the pay tax-free in the Persian Gulf area?

Maybe this general is just a straw man, sent to test the political waters?

Originally posted by Souljah
well this other news sources just proove that aljazeera is just like any other news agencies.

Except that this is aljazeera.net, not aljazeera.com Both get stuff pretty terribly wrong quite often, but Al Jazeera is certainly a decent news source, but which one is .net website? The actual al jazeera or the fake one?

serum
Can you say "Draft?"

Why would this mean a draft? They have 200,000 people in the reserves. 19000 are in iraq and afghanistan. They have around 181,000 more reserve troops to work with. They'll pull them from other countries and put them into those ones and iran. They'll increase the incentives for the reserves and get more people to join, and they'll do the same for the Regular military. They haven't even done a national recruiting drive yet. There's no need for a draft, which won't get voted in anyway. The only people pushing for a draft are the democrats, and the republicans soundly defeated it in congress. No politician is going to ok a draft in this political climate, its political suicide and completely unnecessary.


[edit on 6-1-2005 by Nygdan]

Horacid:

Hope ya don't think I was trying to offend you or single you out as a bad guy. That's not what this is about. I'm just saying that many will feel that the "new and improved" draft is more than reasonable, even though forced military service by definition defies reason. I hope that nobody will support the draft, but we both know many will. The climate has changed, it's a different world now...all that stuff. I won't hold it against people that decide the "new and improved" draft is tolerable orworthy of support, but I'll still resist it for myself, and for any others that I can help as well. Nothing personal to anyone I may term "usual suspects", so let's shake hands and leave it at that eh, brother? (I'm sure to some that last statment is my "hippie red-herring":lol

Gazrok- well I hear that some people serving are making decent money. Normally it's the ones in support infastructure who are taking hazard pay. No matter, the guys on the line down there are still getting a bum deal, regardless of pay. The ones there that don't want to be, or have been held over, I feel very sorry for them. Anyone over there that died before going home, or died at all, I feel bad for them. Sad, sad world.

JoeDoaks-I appreciate your vantage point. I think that the future events most likely to occur will show that my words/thoughts are less shadow of doom, and more likely the simple analysis of a jaded researcher. I'm fairly certain a draft is coming for U.S. even though a lot of stuff right now says it won't be needed. They sure are making a case for it almost every day, even if they do so indirectly.

X

It will take something "bigger" than 911 to get the draft back. So expect something "bigger".

Originally posted by DrHoracid
This is the kind of "Brass A$$" that will make a "Draft" happen. He does not seem to like a "well paid" army. His memo is more a bitch about paying too much and creating a "mercenary" force. What the hell have armies been for thousands of years?

dear mister doctor horacid,

as you can see your army is being stuck in a middle of a much greater conflict than they ever imagined, and it looks like they need more help in there! things are not going as planned and that "wise generals", need more men!
i belive that happens in a state of war, like it did during the vietnam war.
a draft.
every combat capable man or woman from 18-55 goes to first plane for middle east.
hmmm, four more wars? for 4 more wars you need more people in there, since there will to be action in three places at once: iraq, iran and north korea.

In his memo, Lt. Gen. James Helmly stated that the Army Reserve is no longer able to meet its commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, nor can it "reset and regenerate" units for future missions.
by cnn

ask the israeli people, what it means to have "a draft", because every combat capable man and woman begins army service at 18 and has to do two years in active duty.
you sure you want that?