Testifying today to the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Defense, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno continued to rail against sequestration cuts which have been entirely ignored in practice, claiming they would require a cut of 46% of the Army’s active-duty combat brigades.
The Army has sought to address planning for sequestration by ignoring cuts to everything else pretty much entirely and just figuring out how many troops they’d “lose” under the plan.
The plan is entirely theoretical, of course, and in practice Congress has totally ignored sequestration when making its final budgets, sticking all the savings from “required cuts” back into the military coffers.
In that regard, today’s testimony was identical to countless other Pentagon testimonies to Congress, which have all centered on scary-sounding plans no one seriously expected to put in place, and opportunities for hawks to tout their calls for spending increases as the only reasonable course.
The one difference today was Gen. Odierno deciding to play the Russia card during his testimony, hyping the need for sustained US military involvement in Eastern Europe in response to “Russian aggression.”
"…Gen. Odierno (decided) to play the Russia card during his testimony, hyping the need for sustained US military involvement in Eastern Europe in response to “Russian aggression.”
How does "US military involvement" differ from "Russian aggression"?
That’s good, a 46% cut in combat brigade means 46% les wars to be conducted by the US militarism regime., and according to the latest pool 56% of Americans don’t want their government to get involved in another war, this general actually should respect the American people not the war machinery nor his personal feelings about the army.
I think Gen. Jesse Ventura-lookalike is still living in 1985 watching "Rambo: First Blood Part II", "Rocky IV" and "Red Dawn".
I have a few ideas for Ray "Desert OX" Odierno on how to avoid this troop cut.
1) Shut down the vast majorities of overseas bases and bring the troops home.
2) Get rid of the various world wide "commands" starting with Africom. There are army and corps commands who can handle these functions. As things stand, this is a waste of manpower.
3) Retire a number of senior officers. The officer corps is far too big for the forces at hand. Odierno can lead by example and retire.
4) Junk a number of weapons programs that do nothing for combat readiness and only enrich defense contractors.
5) Most important of all, advise the civilian leadership to stop meddling overseas. If they really support the troops like they claim they would stop trying to get them killed all the time.
Works for me. Actually, they could shut down all the overseas bases, retire 60% of the officer corps, and disengage from any and all "treaties" that promise the US will "protect" other countries – let them do that themselves. But I don't think "advising" civilian leadership to stop meddling would work since the civilian leadership doesn't listen to advice willingly. The military should warn them that bad things happen to those who piss in someone else's garden.
Our current military has the arrogant belief that since they are such bad-###es that they can piss anywhere they want. Corpses, Korans, Gardens, doesn't make any difference to them.
Because they could never cut any of the hundreds of golf courses around the world that our military owns and maintains for the Generals like this one to play golf on. Gotta have priorities if one is a modern General.
http://www.militarygolfcourseguide.com/
The Pentagon boys could (save) a 100 billion bucks on their so-called
JSF (Joint Strike Fighter), which is supposed to be (stealth), which really
isn't (stealth), according to Russian and Chinese Radar Systems.
Another wasteful (toy) whose financial resources could have been better spent
on perhaps rebuilding a decaying U.S. infrastructure, health care, schools…
Such a crying shame, Odierno. My heart, she is weeping.
When it becomes obvious that the US MIC is having wars just for the sake of having them, and the mighty US armed forces don't seem to CARE about winning them and ending them but prolonging them for as long as possible, you deserve jack squat for your war-making capabilities.
You couldn't win in Afghanistan and Iraq, you think you have a chance against Russia? Don't make me laugh, you and your paper tigers.
Hey I’m sold.
Yes I know he’s lying but I can dream can’t I?
How about this: retire the generals and admirals, make peace, not war.
Works for me. How about you?