U.S. Military Is Stretched Too Thin, Defense Board Warns

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-troops30sep30.story
THE NATION
U.S. Military Is Stretched Too Thin, Defense Board Warns
Advisory panel calls Army efforts to create more combat brigades 'important, but partial.'
By Mark Mazzetti
Times Staff Writer

September 30, 2004

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military lacks sufficient personnel to meet the nation's current war and peacekeeping demands throughout the world in coming years, despite steps being taken by the Army to stretch its ranks and increase the number of soldiers available for combat, according to a Pentagon advisory board.

The report by the Defense Science Board, a panel of outside advisors to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, argues that "inadequate total numbers" of troops mean the United States can "not sustain our current and projected global stabilization commitments." Army initiatives to create more combat brigades out of its 10 active divisions are "important, but partial, steps toward enhanced stabilization operations," the panel said.

The report offers several options for easing the burdens on a military strained by missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among them are adding substantial numbers of troops and scaling back the number of peacekeeping missions. The board did not specify troop numbers.

The findings surfaced last week when Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) cited the report during a congressional hearing and questioned Rumsfeld about it. Rumsfeld called it an "excellent piece of work" but said the panel probably had not been briefed on the Army's plans to squeeze more out of existing forces before reaching its conclusions.
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[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

1. DSB Summer Study....does it have an impact on policy?

You bet it does.

A DSB summer study from the early 90s recommended that the base operating support activities be outsourced, and the military pretty much did just that, up to a point.

You can bet this report will be looked at closely and some of the recommendations acted on.

[teryang]

2. "The findings surfaced last week"

We've been talking about this at DU for over two years.

Rumsfield is a lying piece of work. He says that combat tours will be shortened but don't get your expectations up. What kind of doublespeak is that?