House Armed Services Committee leaders warn of “national crisis” in military readiness

Source: The Hill

By Roxana Tiron | Posted 11/25/07
November 25, 2007

Although Democrats in Congress have not been able to force an Iraq withdrawal, two House Armed Services Committee leaders are sounding the alarm that readiness shortfalls could prevent the U.S. military from responding to new threats at home and abroad.

Reps. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas), the chairman of the Armed Services Readiness subcommittee, and Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Air and Land Forces subcommittee, this week introduced a resolution detailing the challenges facing the military and the resulting impact on national security. The two veteran lawmakers are working on getting co-sponsors for the bill, and the Armed Services panel could have a hearing on the issue at the beginning of next year.

“While the Congress has been unable to agree on policy related to Iraq in veto-proof numbers, we should all be able to agree on one thing: the U.S. military constitutes our first and last line of protection – and they are in a world of hurt,” Ortiz said in a joint statement accompanying the resolution. “Our military’s ground forces are broken by the ongoing operations, particularly in Iraq, and we are watching the making of a full blown national security crisis,” Ortiz added.

The Ortiz-Abercrombie resolution comes at the conclusion of a year in which they and other committee leaders have tried to raise awareness about the state of military training as well as equipment. Congress has spent considerable funds to restore military readiness, as Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) made that one of his panel’s priorities....

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Despite the additional congressional funding, however, military experts believe that it would take several years and billions of dollars to repair the military’s shortfalls. The Ortiz-Abercrombie bill is the first piece of legislation to address the nature of military readiness, underscoring the concern among policymakers over the impact of the high tempo of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan on the military....

Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/members-warn-of-national-crisis-in-military-readiness-2007-11-25.html

The social welfare paradise known as the United States is neglecting the military/industrial complex to maintain a lavish workers' paradise.

Benhurst

You know how USSR was made broke in the days... Use for mutch money on the military/industrial complex, just to be on the safe side.. And in the days the USSR have not the industry capasity that United States had and have TODAY..

But even THAT is maybee not enough to not broke the armed forces if you are not carefully.. That should our history rembember...

Diclotican

Sorry my bad engelish, not my native language

Benhurst

Then we have to hope, and pray for the opposite. And hope that United States manage to do the opposite.. To get rid of this militarism who are treathing to kill the same republic so many country once admired and look up to in the old days..

Yes looked up to. Even that United States in many ways was using their tools to do evil things, that even today is just been coming out.. Murder, killing, coup'etats overtrown of elected leaders and it slike.. America once stand for something that can overcome the rest... But today, the light is off, and the city on the hill is just as dark, and dirty as other places where evil have previled and there dictatorship is the norm

And even today, with a "broken army" and a Presidency who are totaly out of controll. A Senat and a Congress who just do as the President are saying them to do.. USA belive that they can twist the rest of the world on the little finger?... Hey USA have loosed more credibelety under this President, than they manage to do with 8 year with Clinton.. And all what he was doing, was have some verry interesting use of a sigar.. Howcome the american public are not that angry about a President who had lied, sheated and bullied his way, from he was a Governour of Texas, to this day?:. WHo are the DECENCY in the United States, and the american public about that?:.. If so many american as outrages about Clintons use of sigar, then they should be bowling in their blood when it come to this President and what he have manage to damage US abroad and at home..

Diclotican

Sorry my bad engelish, not my native language

That wasn't so difficult to cypher out, now, was it?

DeepModem Mom

The blame has to go where it belongs.. In the Grand Old Party, also known as the Republican Party. And the Administration of President George Walker Bush jr, who blow up the armed forces on ground of "national security":.

Great works, you "conservative" in the Republican Party, who belived that yo innvade another country, the size of France with 140.000 soldiers was enough.. And that US forcers was there to stand in maybee 6 monts of a year.. Now 5-6 year later, a allmoust broken armed forces need resuply fast, and it wil cost the tax-payers a lot of money to just get it right...

EXELENCT WORK.. United States enemies could not have doing a better work, to destroy the armed forces.. That is the work of a man who have NEVER IN HIS LIFE MANAGE TO MAKE A COMPANY WHO HAVE SURVIVED.. Allways made himself to survive then, and grasp his money and run.. And now he is about to broke not just the armed forces, but to broke United States of America.. Allmoust that he is working for the same group who despise america that mutch that it want to "tear down this two buildings" as to use a metafhore from a another speach made by a another Republican President...

Diclotican

Sorry my bad engelish, not my native language

DeepModem Mom

You are all welcome;)

And thank you;)

Sorry my bad engelish, not my native language

Time to rendition whoever leaked this as a "Domestic Terrorist".. Just let the world know we can't defend ourselves.. Yeah, that's how ya do it..
:sarcasm:

Democrats controlling congress its time to submit the legislation for a draft.