Army to recall former members

[WCUgirl]

.

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

reading that makes me curious what's happening with H.R. 163 and S. 89 up in Congress.

[Kevin]

Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
reading that makes me curious what's happening with H.R. 163 and S. 89 up in Congress.

H.R.163
Title: To provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] (introduced 1/7/2003) Cosponsors (13)
Related Bills: S.89
Latest Major Action: 2/3/2003 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Executive Comment Requested from DOD.


S.89
Title: A bill to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Hollings, Ernest F. [SC] (introduced 1/7/2003) Cosponsors (None)
Related Bills: H.R.163
Latest Major Action: 1/7/2003 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

[sageofages]

Originally posted by AXiD670
"WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army is preparing to notify about 5,600 retired and discharged soldiers who are not members of the National Guard or Reserve that they will be involuntarily recalled to active duty for possible service in Iraq or Afghanistan, Army officials said Tuesday.

It marks the first time the Army has called on the Individual Ready Reserve, as this category of reservists is known, in substantial numbers since the 1991 Gulf War.

The move reflects the continued shortage of troops available to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to fight the ongoing war on terrorism as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lt. Gen. Frank Hagenbeck, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, said earlier this month of the Army's troop strength, "We are stretched but we have what we need."

Pentagon officials have echoed that statement explaining that while the military is reaching deep into its resources, war planners have long had contingency plans such as this for when troops are really needed."

Link

Can we say DRAFT?

sigh

[PhiPsiRuss]

Dear Bill Clinton,

For decades, Amercan defense policy was built on the principle that our military should be able to fight two full scale conflicts at once. This was not just to have a strong defense, but also because if you are engaged on one theater, and not able to handle a second theater, then tyrants will come out of the woodworks and take advantage of this situation.

You decided, in your typical double-speak, to reduce the capability of our military to 1 1/2 theaters of operation. What's 1/2 theater? Anyway, we've had to pray that N. Korea doesn't do anything that's even more stupid than what they usually do, and we've had to turn a blind eye at Iran because we're stretched way too thin to deal with them.

Our military is so spread out, that members of Congress are seriously debating the reinstatement of a draft.

Today, the AP reported, "The Army is preparing to notify about 5,600 retired and discharged soldiers who are not members of the National Guard or Reserve that they will be involuntarily recalled to active duty for possible service in Iraq or Afghanistan, Army officials said Tuesday."

Bill Clinton, this is your legacy.

May you be buried next to Neville Chamberlain when you leave this earth.

Sincerely,

A concerned citizen.

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

I could have sworn big military cuts were started under the reign of Bush I.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
I could have sworn big military cuts were started under the reign of Bush I.

Not that big. G.H.W. Bush was reducing the military from its full Cold War capability. He had no intention of the level of force reduction that Clinton carried out.

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

well- we had no need. we were in peace before Bush came along with his war mongering.

Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
I could have sworn big military cuts were started under the reign of Bush I.

Bush Sr. started downsizing the military and closing bases left and right and now we got Jr. getting us into war with a short supply of military his father cut us down on

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
well- we had no need. we were in peace before Bush came along with his war mongering.

That's an invalid argument on two points.

Force structure can not be expanded whenever a threat arises, like was possible during WWII. Today, weapons systems often take over a decade to develop and deploy. Reducing force structure was highly irresponsible. Future defense needs can never be known. Clinton condemned America to a reduced defense capabilty.

The war mongering argument is also invalid. The Bush administration did not cause 9-11. It came to us. In the aftermath of that terrible day, the Bush administration decided to go after the root causes of Jihadism. That meant remaking the Middle East, and when that became apparent, Iraq proactively attempted to destabilize the region. Iraq got invaded, and the Iraqi people are finally, after three decades, liberated.

We had a need to invade Iraq. Clinton's policies made doing that more difficult.

I have a question for someone who can asnwer it

I asked this under the draft thread but now i have a different question

If you have one child and that child is a boy and he somehow gets drafted can he be drafted but not go into combat and be stationed onto base being the only child and being a male solider?

My father told me that but i just needed clarification on that

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by cutiepatootie
I have a question for someone who can asnwer it

I asked this under the draft thread but now i have a different question

If you have one child and that child is a boy and he somehow gets drafted can he be drafted but not go into combat and be stationed onto base being the only child and being a male solider?

My father told me that but i just needed clarification on that

I'm pretty sure that only children have to serve in combat as well.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by cutiepatootie
Bush Sr. started downsizing the military and closing bases left and right and now we got Jr. getting us into war with a short supply of military his father cut us down on

Again, G.H.W. Bush did not cut down the military force structure to a 1 1/2 theater capability. Clinton did. Closing bases was not necessarily reducing force structure.

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11
Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia did.
We were correct on 50% of our targets against modern Wahabbism.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11
Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia did.
We were correct on 50% of our targets against modern Wahabbism.

9-11 isn't some isolated incident. 9-11 fits in well within a region that has birthed quite a few anti-American terrorists.

-Rudey