Re: McCain and Iraq

11/24/2006

Editor;

Last night on the CBS news there was a segment about the U.S. Army not having enough combat ready brigades ready to send to Iraq if the President calls for an increase of troop strength there. 

There is talk of an increase of 20,000 troops.  A brigade has 3000 to 3500 soldiers, depending if the brigades are Infantry or Armored or if they are classified as a Brigade Combat Team.  So we are talking about 5 to 6 brigades, we don’t have them ready. 

Right now the regular Army is at a strength of 500,000, the Reserve and NG make-up another 500,000.  If one looks at the world wide commitments, It will be very hard to come up with 5 to 6 brigades to throw into Iraq without fore going our commitments elsewhere.  That is one of the reasons that we are having a problem in Afghanistan, Rummy pulled troops out of Afghanistan and deployed them to Iraq.  Rummy also pulled the only brigade we had in Korea out and sent it to Iraq, the brigades in Europe have been rotating in and out of Iraq. 

You can’t fight a war on the cheap.....

Charlie Zea