Military Support and readiness questioned!

[NamVet4]

In a December 2003 memo to Pentagon officials, Multi National Force-Iraq Commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez warned that Army units in Iraq were "struggling just to maintain ... relatively low readiness rates" on key combat systems.

The lack of key spare parts for gear vital to combat operations, such as tanks and helicopters, was causing problems so severe, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez wrote in a letter to top Army officials, that "I cannot continue to support sustained combat operations with rates this low."


Lt. Gen. Claude V. Christianson, the senior logistics officer on the Army staff at the Pentagon, said the readiness problems in Iraq peaked last fall but largely have been addressed. He said they were caused by a combination of problems in the supply pipeline and an unexpectedly high pace of combat operations as the Iraqi insurgency flared last year.

"All of a sudden, at the end of July [2003], the insurgency started to do that IED business all over Iraq," he noted, using the acronym for "improvised explosive device," the military's term for roadside bombs. In response, the pace, or "operating tempo," for U.S. troops jumped, causing them to use their tanks and other armored vehicles at much higher rates than had been expected.

Sanchez's letter was sent after the most intense insurgent offensive the U.S.-led occupation force had seen up to that point. In a series of attacks that coincided with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan near the end of October last year, 87 U.S. service members were killed. Under Islam's lunar calendar, Ramadan this year began a few days ago.

Source: MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6269479/)
I see, everyday, automobiles with Yellow Ribbons that ask us to Support Our Troops, Pray for Our Troops......

I guess the administation does't seem to respond to the American public wishes too well...

~sigh ~ Pathetic

[Booser]

very true, but at the same time our administration comes under fire when they try to spend big money on the war in iraq.

[Spence]

very true, but at the same time our administration comes under fire when they try to spend big money on the war in iraq.From whom?

[Jimreaper007]

The President has back himself into a damned if you do or don't situation because of his own errors in judgement.

The President blasted Senator Kerry for not supporting the $87 Billion supplemental package to Iraq (which included the money for body and vehicle armor)

The democratic/liberal response is: Why did our troops get sent into harms way without the body/vehicle armor in the first place?


The administration should be held accountable for that as well as the decision to go with lightly skinned Humvees instead of the thousands of Armored Personnel Carriers (APC's) the US has rusting away in North Carolina and Texas. The Israeli Minister of Defense sent an urgent memo to Rumsfeld after the invasion of Iraq asking why the US was not using APCs to patrol Iraq. Now the Israelis know a little about about terrorist so anything they suggest....I would take as pretty sound advice.

The decision to go with lighly skinned Humvees made our soldiers vulnerable to IED's so the blame for that goes where? The decision to ignore the Israelis who are way more experienced at this stuff is just plain arrogant and stupid.

I wonder what the American people would think if they knew we could have saved pretty much all of the people who died from IED's while riding in Convoys or while on mounted patrols. The families of these dead soldiers have a right to know who dropped the ball.

The military investigators on the Jessica Lynch convoy ambush stated in their After Action Review that had those vehicles been APC's instead of Humvees, most of those soldiers would be alive.

As president you can dodge responsibility, but not accountability as these decisions were made on the current president's watch. Try as he might, he cannot blame that on Kerry. I also blame the generals because they should have had the balls to tell the president to at least wait until we had the proper equipment before invading.

For those who have been in harms way we know these are not acceptable loses (especially to the families of these lost servicemembers). The American people are entitled to know the truth about our current president and how his bad decisions have resulted in the needless deaths of hundreds of soldiers. Everytime you see a burning humvee on the TV just remember who is accountable.

The president is damned no matter which way he decides to go at this point.

[Minnesota Mike]

I see, everyday, automobiles with Yellow Ribbons that ask us to Support Our Troops, Pray for Our Troops......


~sigh ~ Pathetic

As near as I can tell, I think those stickers mean you should put a yellow sticker on your car, vote Republican, and not question anything.

[tommahawk]

The President has back himself into a damned if you do or don't situation because of his own errors in judgement.

The President blasted Senator Kerry for not supporting the $87 Billion supplemental package to Iraq (which included the money for body and vehicle armor)

The democratic/liberal response is: Why did our troops get sent into harms way without the body armor in the first place?

The administration should be held accountable for that as well as the decision to go with Hum-vees instead of the thousands of Armored Personnel Carriers (APC's) we have rusting away in North Carolina and Texas. The Israeli Minister of Defense sent an urgent memo to Rumsfeld after the invasion of Iraq asking why the US was not using APCs to patrol Iraq.

The decision to go with lighly skinned Humvees made our soldiers vulnerable to IED's so the blame for that goes where?

I wonder what the American people would think if they knew we could have saved pretty much all of the people who died from IED's while riding in Convoys or while on mounted patrols.

The military investigators on the Jessica Lynch convoy ambush stated in their After Action Review that had those vehicles been APC's instead of Humvees, most of those soldiers would be alive.

As president you can dodge responsibility, but not accountability as these decisions were made on the current president's watch. Try as he might, he cannot blame that on Kerry.

These are not acceptable loses (especially to the families of these servicemembers lost)

The president is damned no matter which way he decides to go at this point.

This makes me think Bush and Cheney have intrests in Hummer.