Gates Threatens to EXTEND DEPLOYMENTS Rather Than Bend to Congress' Will to Bring Troops Home

Gates: Funding impasse could lead to longer combat deployments


By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, March 24, 2007

WASHINGTON — Lengthy delays in finalizing supplemental war funding could force Army leaders to extend some soldiers’ tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

Army officials are planning cutbacks in home-station training, cuts in repair of predeployment training equipment and delays in upgrades to barracks and family facilities at stations worldwide if the president’s $94 billion supplemental request isn’t approved by Congress by April 15, Gates said at a media roundtable.

If the funding impasse stretches past May 15, he said officials will consider even more severe measures: canceling orders on all repair parts for equipment not related to war, reducing repair work at all Army depots and sharply cutting predeployment training of some brigade combat teams.

“This in turn will cause units in theater to have their tours extended, because other units are not ready to take their place,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gates did not rule out the possibility that even more troops could be added to those selected for the “surge,” which number about 28,700, up from the 21,000 proposed by Bush in January.

“It’s not a static situation,” Gates said.

report: http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=44543

The average troop cannot bear up under these conditions.

We are facing a quiet Hell.

I feel for these troops.

Despite Strains, U.S. Could Fight A Third War: Gates

WASHINGTON, Mar 23

Defense Secretary Robert Gates cautioned on Thursday the Army would face problems without emergency funds but insisted U.S. forces could fight a third war despite being stretched in Iraq and Afghanistan, reports Reuters.

He painted a mixed picture of the impact Iraq has had on U.S. military readiness at a time when Congress is considering tying a Bush administration request for emergency war funding to a deadline for pulling troops out of the conflict.

Gates had raised concerns about a demand by some Democrats to set a deadline. He declined on Thursday to say what Congress should do or to discuss a threat by President George W. Bush to veto a bill linking funds to a withdrawal timetable.

http://www.mediafax.ro/english/articole-free/Despite-Strains--U-S--Could-Fight-A-Third-War--Gates-639469-9.html

They want to force the Democrats to implement the DRAFT.
It would be electoral suicide for us, of course.
That is why they are doing this now.

A draft with Democratic fingerprints on it would be their ticket to permanent Repiglican rule too.

We must not go there, no matter how much the regime abuses our soldiers.
Some here think that compounding the diaster would end the war sooner.
They are wrong.
It would ensure that it continues for decades.

I don't see anyone saying they won't approve the funding. I do hear Dubya saying he'll veto the funding bill when it gets to his desk, so it's not really Congress causing an issue, it's Dubya increasing the burden on our military and his SecDef threatening to put our troops in an even more dangerous situation.

Just voting against Bush's budget request would clearly allow the debate to shift to whether Democrats intended to 'fund' the troops. With the Democrats stepping up and asserting THEIR priorities for our forces Bush has put in harm's way, they are able to assert their demand that Bush end his occupation and direct the money where it's needed to effect that withdrawal.

When this passes, as you say, it will be Bush who is denying the troops the funding they need, effective with his promised veto.

from Murtha:


"Emergency supplemental bill focuses on military readiness and troop wellness”

(Washington D.C.)- General Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently reported that because of the demands of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a significant risk that the U.S. military won’t be able to quickly and fully respond to yet another crisis.

At the beginning of the Iraq war, 80% of all Army units and almost 100% of active combat units were rated at the highest levels of readiness. Just the opposite exists today. Virtually all of our active-duty combat units at home and all of our guard units are at the lowest level of readiness.

“Our nation is threatened because our forces at home lack the readiness to effectively respond to future threats to our national security. We must make it a national priority to re-strengthen our military and to repair readiness,” stated Murtha.

The emergency supplemental appropriations bill provides more than was requested by the President for our troops and veterans. Significant increases are added to address military readiness and force protection equipment shortfalls, and service members’ health and housing needs. The bill provides an additional $1.2 billion to re-focus our efforts in Afghanistan, where al Qaeda and the Taliban are regrouping.

The bill also includes money that the President did not request for the health and well-being of our war fighter. This includes: $450 million for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Counseling; $450 million for Traumatic Brain Injury care and research; $730 million to offset the Administration’s insurance premium increase to our troops and their families; $62 million for amputee care for our returning war fighters; $14.8 million for burn care; and provides funding for the creation of a new program that will provide support for those who are taking care of our severely wounded in military hospitals around the world.

“As Americans, we have a responsibility to ensure that our men and women in uniform, who have sacrificed so much in this time of war, receive the care they rightfully deserve,” added Murtha.


http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/03/military_congress_veterans_healthcare_070322w/