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Army slams
Murtha!
From
Stars and Stripes:
Army officials angrily defended the capability and competence of the
service Thursday in response to criticism from a pair of House
Democrats who said the fighting force’s readiness is dangerously low.
Outspoken war critic Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., and Rep. David Obey, D-Wis.,
on Wednesday again called for the resignation of Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld for what they said was his failure to keep the
military properly staffed and equipped.
They also released a 12-page report compiled from their staff’s
examination of Army reports and congressional information requests,
which said funding shortfalls and poor planning have led to “the very
real prospect that Army readiness will continue to erode, undermining
its ability to meet the theater commanders’ needs …”
But Army officials called the detailed report inaccurate and the
conclusion of the congressmen off-base.
“Today’s Army is the highest quality Army this Nation has ever
produced — it has not ‘gone south,’” according to a statement released
in response to the report. “To imply otherwise is an insult to the
young men and women who have volunteered to protect our nation’s
freedoms.”
Murtha’s military readiness report describes the Army as “dangerously
at risk” and points to equipment and personnel shortfalls as the main
reasons. It notes that Army combat units preparing for the next
rotations for Iraq and Afghanistan likely will not see a full year of
rest and retraining between deployments.
Shortfalls in the number of guardsmen who are ready to fight have
aggravated the problem — the report said 80 percent of non-deployed
Guard units not already mobilized have received the lowest readiness
rating — and equipment shortfalls have left many active-duty units
without vehicles and communication devices they need for preparation.
“Many Army officials conclude that current deployment rates cannot be
sustained without breaking the force,” the report states.
Paul Boyce, spokesman for the Army, said officials are preparing a
point-by-point response to the report but could not provide specific
details on the readiness issues brought up by the congressmen.
In their statement, Army officials said they have been working to
replace equipment before problematic shortages arise, and they note
that every active-duty unit features “better trained and prepared
soldiers than we’ve ever put in the field.”
They also outright dismiss many of the congressmen’s claims. The
report says the Army may fall 1,000 soldiers short of its recruiting
goal this year, but the Army says it expects to reach its 80,000
target for the fiscal year by next week.
And officials said the Congressmen overhyped increases regarding the
number of category IV recruits — those with the lowest acceptable
score on the Armed Forces Qualification Test — noting that they still
represent under four percent of the total number of new recruits,
which follows previously established military limits.
Vets for the Truth / Boot
Murtha
opens Johnstown office
We've opened headquarters for Vets for the Truth / Boot Murtha in
Murtha's hometown -- Johnstown, PA! Our office is located at 1001
Eisenhower Blvd. (Pictured below)
(click to enlarge)
Vets for the Truth's Boot Murtha
Headquarters.
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