Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Bush Adminstrations has let the military go to rot
From a report generated by the National Security Advisory Group
Dear Leader Pelosi and Leader Reid:
We are writing to express our deep concern about the U.S. Army's current state of readiness and to urge you to take immediate action to address this urgent problem. We have recently learned that:
- Two thirds of the Army's operating force, active and reserve, is now reporting in as unready.
- There is not a single non-deployed Army Brigade Combat Team in the United States that is ready to deploy.
The bottom line is that our Army currently has no ready, strategic reserve. Not since the Vietnam era and its aftermath has the Army's readiness been so degraded. [...]
Restoring the Army's readiness requires additional funding, but, inexplicably, the administration is underfunding the Army. It has not requested funding adequate to support the roles and missions envisioned for the Army by the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, nor has it provided adequate funding to support the operational demands being placed on the Army today. Remarkably, the Office of Management and Budget recently cut the Army's request for FY06 supplemental appropriations by $4.9 Billion, undermining the Army's efforts to "get well" after substantial equipment degradation and losses in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. We believe this constitutes a serious failure of civilian stewardship of the military.
The administration's willingness to put our nation at such strategic risk is deeply disturbing. And its failure to adequately support the soldiers who are risking their lives for this nation is unacceptable. The readiness degradation that has already occurred could lead to a downward spiral that will take years to correct unless promptly addressed. Under these conditions, it is important for the Congress to step forward to exercise its oversight responsibilities for equipping and training the Armed Services.[...]
Sincerely,
William J. Perry, Chair, National Security Advisory Group
Madeleine K. Albright (former Secretary of State)
Graham T. Allison (former Assistant Secretary of Defense)
Samuel R. Berger (former National Security Advisor)
Ashton B. Carter (former Assistant Secretary of Defense)
Wesley K. Clark (former Supreme Allied Commander Europe)
Thomas E. Donilon (former Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State)
Michele A. Flournoy (former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense)
John D. Podesta (former White House Chief of Staff)
Susan E. Rice (former Assistant Secretary of State)
John M. Shalikashvili (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)
Wendy R. Sherman (former State Department Counselor)
Elizabeth D. Sherwood-Randall (former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense)
James B. Steinberg (former Deputy National Security Advisor)
