George W Bush and Don Rumsfeld: A Screwed Up National Command Authority

[John-in-KC]

Oh, sherminator...

 

You want me to tell you how I really feel?

 

The Armed Forces of the United States have been on a war footing for eight years now. During that time we have ridden the horse (the force) hard, put it away wet without care, and called it out the next morning before it was rested.

 

My Dad served in the Pacific Theater every single day of WWII, from Dec 8, 1941, when the Japs attacked the Philippines, to September 2, 1945, and the general surrender of Japan on USS Missouri. His uniform has 42 months of combat service stripes.

 

I ran into a couple NCOs recently: One had 48 months combat service, the other 54.

 

Bush listened to his political SecDef, who wasn't open and listening to needs for more base forces. Our force didn't even begin to grow until early 2007, and it's still not really where it needs to be to handle operations.

 

The National Guard (ARNG, AFNG) and federal Reserve Components (USAR, USAFR, USNR, USMCR) are being called out on about a 1 year in 3 cycle. They are not a strategic reserve; they are the operational reserve for the armed forces.

 

We the people have not had to pay a direct war tax in any way, shape, or form. Most people I know have seen no impact on their daily lives from the war.

 

Don't start me about proper equipment for the force: I remember Rumsfeld telling the troops **** you (in essence), we go to war with equipment we have. Don, did you ever hear the word called MOBILIZATION? You bring the industrial base of the US to bear and get the troops what they need. In 1940 we were able to expand posts, camps, and stations 30-fold to support force mobilization. We did it in an incredibly short period of time. We're only now truly caught up on protective vehicles for the troops in harms way.

 

I lay that at George W Bush's feet, and Don Rumsfeld better be close at hand. Talking with other friends of mine, you'd be amazed at the vitriol many have for especially Rumsfeld.

 

Thank you for letting me journal, sherminator.

[Eagle92]

John,

Let's not forget that the US military was "downsized" after Gulf War I. That also has led part of the current manpower challenges.

[Horizon]

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004598.html

 

1990 2,043,705

1991 1,985,555

1992 1,807,177

1993 1,705,103

1994 1,610,490

1995 1,518,224

1996 1,471,722

1997 1,438,562

1998 1,406,830

1999 1,385,703

2000 1,384,338

2001 1,385,116

2002 1,413,577

2003 1,423,348

2004 1,411,287

2005 1,378,014

2006 (June) 1,381,401

2007 (August) 1,380,082

 

Now, I don't know if this counts activated Reservists and Guard members.

 

We certainly have cut the size of the military, while still expecting to be able to manage two occupations.

 

However, I wonder about the actual numbers sometimes. We still have random placements around the world:

 

http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MILITARY/history/hst0906.pdf

 

Total - Europe 79,830

Total - East Asia and Pacific 45,009 (does not list Korea though)

 

Our two wars:

Operation Iraqi Freedon (OIF)

(Active Component portion of strength included in above)

Total (in around Iraq as of June 30, 2009) -

Includes deployed Reserve/National Guard 171,500

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)

(Active Component portion of strength included in above)

Total (in/around Afghanistan as of June 30, 2009) - 59,000

 

We have more men in Germany than in Afghanistan.

[John-in-KC]

Active duty Army end strength, 1988: 785,000

 

Active duty Army end strength, 2001: 485,000

 

We went from 16 divisions in the Army in the late 80s

1st Infantry

2d Infantry

3d Infantry

4th Infantry

5th Infantry

6th Infantry (Light)

7th Infantry (Light)

8th Infantry

9th Infantry

10th Mountain (Light)

24th Infantry

25th Infantry (Light)

1st Armored

2d Armored

3d Armored

82d Airborne

101st Airborne (AA)

1st Cavalry

 

to 10 divisions at the end of the drawdown:

1st Infantry

2d Infantry

3d Infantry

4th Infantry

10th Mountain (Light)

25th Infantry (Light)

1st Armored

82d Airborne

101st Airborne (AA)

1st Cavalry

 

This is only the basic maneuver divisions, not corps troops (corps artillery, ACRs, etc).

 

We drew down and seriously. That happened after ODS, basically on WJC's watch. GWB saw US attacked 9-11-01, but did nothing until after the 2006 election to increase the force.

 

I Damn George W Bush and Don Rumsfeld for leaving America at peace, even as the Armed Forces were at war.

 

[Eagle92]

Let's not forget the other branches. I know USN and USMC were affected, don't remember how badly but do remember that they cut the number of NROTC scholarships accordingly and I missed out. Also heard USAF lost out some too.

[SctDad]

Remember that it was Clinton that downgraded the military strength in the 90's.

 

It was then that the USS Cole was attacked by this horrid man, oh what was his name. Oh yeah, Osama Binladen. Wasn't he also the same one responsible for the first attack on the trade center.

 

But the democrats saw no need to go after this guy. When the country was attacked while Bush was president, he said, that is it. No more. We take the fight to them.

 

Remember enough people voted for change.

[Eagle92]

Also let's not forget the 1993 WTC attack and the 2 embassies in Africa that were attacked in the late 1990s. The latter hit kinda close to home as my district commissioner at the time was called in to do some consulting on those two bombings.

[le Voyageur]

Where the Bush Administration blew it, was electing to use the full weight of our military after 9/11 when it wasn't needed. There were other options, none of which were considered, or put on the table. Bush's so called "war on terror" should of been a quite shadow war...(This message has been edited by le voyageur)

[Nike]

Enjoy your Peace Dividend!

[nldscout]

So le Voyageur,

 

What other options should we have done?

[GernBlansten]

Traditional military warfare does not work for non-traditional warfare. Using simple statistics on troop force levels and expenditures is irrelevant.

 

We don't need atomic bombs, aircraft carriers, stealth bombers, fighter planes, Abrams tanks, ballistic missiles, nuclear subs, anti-ballistic missile missiles.

 

This enemy blends into the background.

 

This enemy requires a much different approach. We need to infiltrate, identify and eliminate. Quietly. No shock and awe. Quiet elimination.

But that doesn't make Americans feel safe. Doesn't make good FoxNews. We like the shock and awe. The big explosions. High body counts. Statues being pulled down. Triumphant carrier landings. That makes Americans happy. We got the former, not the latter. And we are not any safer.

 

Our enemy lays in wait. No change in troop levels is going to change that.

[packsaddle]

Gern, I agree, so many of us just felt sooooo good about all that, didn't we? I just want the people who attacked us killed, wiped out. If a covert operation can do this then of course use that. But if we can locate the enemy, and if it looks costly to ferret them out using infantry, then the big hammer works too. Light up the sky. Whatever it takes. Get this over with. Make the needed apologies afterward. The one good thing about Bush squandering our international stature is that we don't have to worry about that anymore. It frees us to do what has to be done. Do it.

[GernBlansten]

Well Pack,

the question that keeps coming to me, is what was GWB's true motivation in the War on Terror.

 

If it was to promote and execute a plan to reform and stabilize the middle east into a region easily managed to exploit their resources while simultaneously making those who supported GWB rich through war expenses, he succeeded. Kinda. He made his buddies rich, but the region is still destabilized and we are not exploiting their resources. But Halliburton and KBR certainly are doing well.

 

If it was to eliminate the threat of terrorism on Americans, I think he failed. Terrorism is still a clear and present danger. We are no safer today than we were 9/10/2001.

[packsaddle]

Gern, if you asked HIM that question he'd probably stumble around hoping that Rumsfeld or Cheney would supply him with the answer. I doubt he'd admit that raiding the treasury was a motivation...he's probably not clever enough even to see that...but anyway, he'd try to put a higher motivation I suspect. So..he failed. But you already knew that.

[le Voyageur]

 

nldscout...

 

 

....a quite shadow war, such as the one now in progress for the past 30 years