USAR "broken"?

[bossi]

Reservist force is in crisis, says general
By Francis Harris
(Filed: 07/01/2005) The Telegraph

America's reserves, a vital prop for the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, are close to collapsing under the strain of deployment abroad, according to their commander.

Lt Gen James Helmly, a famously straight-talking member of the US top brass, sounded the alarm about his 200,000-strong force in a memo to the chief of staff.

The reserve was "rapidly degenerating into a broken force", he wrote in the leaked document, and was already unable to meet "mission requirements" for America's two biggest military operations.

Lt Gen Helmly criticised the Pentagon's failure to place military considerations above "caring" policies. In particular he attacked the ability of reservists to avoid service overseas, a system designed for "peace rather than war".

His proposals for reform had received "no action or support" from the military hierarchy, he complained.

"Demands to use only 'volunteers' from the reserve components threaten to distort the very nature of service," he wrote.

The reserve has been a crucial element of America's war on terrorism. Almost 20,000 reserve troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan, with another 30,000 called up to serve in America, so freeing regular troops for service abroad.

Some former soldiers, as well as their families and employers, have expressed dismay at being called up for lengthy deployments.

The general also attacked a plan to pay those sent overseas an extra £540 a month, saying it undermined the principle of a volunteer force. "We must consider the point at which we confuse 'volunteer' ... with mercenary."

 

[openclass]

I am going to take a shot at getting this thread going.

This article in the Telegraph seems to be bases on an article in TIME that I just finished reading (or perhaps the article in TIME was based on the article in the Telegraph).   While the 'full time' army has no problem, the recruiting numbers are way down for the National Guard and the Army reserves.   Apparently there is something like 60,000 National Guard and Reservists serving in Iraq and Aghganistan (warning:  I didn't check this number before I posted it). The bigger problem is a looming one.   Reservists in the US military have to be released after 24 months of active service and many are coming up to this milestone this year:   thus the $1000/mo tax free bonus for those who stay on.

I think part of the problem is Gen. Helmly:

The general also attacked a plan to pay those sent overseas an extra £540 a month, saying it undermined the principle of a volunteer force. "We must consider the point at which we confuse 'volunteer' ... with mercenary."

What does he think the army is?   The Lions Club?!   A volunteer fire dept?!   The reservists in Iraq are doing a very dangerous job and are taken away from home for long periods of time.   $1000/mo does not seem to be very much money.   I think it should be more.   I would guess that many of those part-timers could make much more money at home.   There are a lot of people in the civilian world who make a lot of money not doing much;   the least the US army could do is overpay its soldiers.

 

[USMarine]

Hello.

I came a crossed this message forum as I searched for photos of the M16A2 service rifle.   I am preparing a presentation for tomorrow.   That is beside the point however.

I am currently in the Marine Corps Individual Ready Reserves as I attend college and Platoon Leaders Class to become an Aviator in the Corps.   Before this I served in the Active Reserves for a year as a 0311(grunt) and never saw combat.   My unit is now deployed with out me.   Makes me feel kind of bad. Anyways.   Being an American and all I am slightly in the know on situations like this.   At least I think so lol.

I do not know if any one is aware but the Army has been quite generous with those it has enlisted into its ranks, active or reserve.   $120,000 sign on bonuses can be quite enticing (this amount is a rare one but one of my high school classmates got one).   Many of my "associates" joined under assumptions that they would never see action and the money was their for the taking.   So they took it.   Now they are getting called on their obligations and looking for anyway they can get out of it.   This is not everyone don't misunderstand me.

However if you would notice my beloved Marine Corps have not had nearly as many problems as the Army.   Maybe that is because we are a much leaner force.   I chock it up to us all serving because we want to serve.   No extremely large sign on bonuses here.

Thank you,

Lcpl Simmons, USMC

 

[tomahawk6]

Here is another side of the story which was carried by the Army Times. It is a subscriber only story so I will post it in its entirety.

www.armytimes.com

January 17, 2005

Schoomaker first read 'broken force' comments in press

By Sean D. Naylor
Times staff writer


Army Chief of Staff Gen. Pete Schoomaker first read Army Reserve chief Lt. Gen. Helmly's Dec. 20 memo warning that the Army Reserve was â Å“rapidly degenerating into a broken forceâ ? in the press.
Helmly wrote his memo for Schoomaker, but sent it through the office of Forces Command chief Gen. Dan McNeill. Schoomaker told an Association of the U.S. Army audience in Arlington, Va., Jan. 14 that he was traveling abroad as the memo made its way up the chain of command, and so only found out about it from the media.

Nevertheless, Schoomaker said in discussion the Reserve, â Å“They're definitely not broke.â ? Helmly cited a series of policies that the three-star general said were undermining his command's ability to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. â Å“Those issues are all being addressed,â ? Schoomaker said, adding that many of them were serious matters of policy that senior leaders in the Pentagon were working on.