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555 Dirksen Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: 202.224.6342
Fax: 202.224.1100
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Raleigh Office:
310 New Bern Avenue
Suite 122
Raleigh, NC 27601
Ph: 919.856.4630
Toll Free: 866.420.6083
Fax: 919.856.4053
Salisbury Office:
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Eastern Office:
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Greenville, NC 27835
Ph: 252.329.1093
Fax: 252.329.1097
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Articles
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WE NEED A LARGER ARMY, MARINE CORPS
Author: Sen. Elizabeth Dole
Publication: The Fayetteville Observer |
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March 8th, 2007 - In the defense of America’s interests, there is no substitute for boots on the ground. The men and women of our armed forces are our greatest military asset. With today’s high operational tempo, it is patently obvious that the current end-strength of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps is too low. Our forces must be larger, not only to accommodate the increasing number of long-term deployments connected with the War on Terror, but also, as important, to be ready to respond to major regional threats and meet critical homeland defense and peacekeeping needs. The administration’s proposed increase in the number of active-duty Army soldiers by 65,000 to 547,000 and active-duty Marines by 27,000 to 202,000 over the next five years is a very wise decision, and one that Congress must support.
The Army and Marine Corps’ operational tempo — the number of days that our forces are deployed each year — is at an unsustainable level. Specifically, the rotational base needed to properly sustain our deployed forces is too small. For example, the Army’s long-standing policy calls for a rotational base that is three times the size of the deployed force, consisting of one deployed unit, one in training, and one regrouping from deployment. But our current rotational base is so small that units are literally crossing paths as they deploy to and from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The president’s plan for Iraq calls for deploying five additional brigades — many for their second or even third tour of duty — and few states feel the impact more than North Carolina. Since the fall of 2001, every brigade in the Fort Bragg-based 82nd Airborne Division has deployed three times, and in all, more than 136,000 service members from our state’s bases have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. While it will take a number of years to complete this much-needed buildup of the Army and Marine Corps, increasing the end-strength of our forces assures service members and their families that additional manpower and resources are on the way.
High operational tempo creates very real hardships for our military and their families, and the stress of frequent deployments is driving some of our best young officers and non-commissioned officers out of the force. These men and women are the young leaders who over the next 10 to 20 years would have become battalion, brigade and divisional commanders and senior non-commissioned officers. This exodus of some of our military’s finest is detrimental to the future leadership of the U.S. armed forces — and therefore to our national defense as a whole.
Increasing the Army and Marine Corps’ end-strength not only addresses the demands of today’s high operational tempo; as importantly, it also ensures that the United States has the military strength to meet our long-term security needs. While we do not seek another war, we must always be prepared to swiftly counter threats at home and abroad — and an inadequately sized force severely limits our ability to effectively respond to crises. The deployment of additional forces to Iraq has further reduced our nation’s strategic reserve of the trained, equipped and immediately deployable forces the commander in chief will need to respond to threats abroad. An Army and Marine Corps that are too small deny the president his single most important asset in times of need — trained and readily available ground forces. And our enemies could exploit any perception that our military is weak and vulnerable.
In addition, since the end of the Cold War, U.S. forces have been deployed on a number of peacekeeping and peace-enforcement missions, many open-ended in nature, to stabilize critical regions and address humanitarian crises. A larger ground force is essential for the United States to fulfill these responsibilities.
More than 30 years ago, then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Creighton Abrams rightly said, “Soldiers are not in the Army, they are the Army.” Similarly, Commandant Charles Krulak testified before a House committee several years ago that Marines don’t man their equipment; rather, the Corps equips its Marines.
As both generals affirm, good people are the greatest asset of our military. It is not enough for the United States to field the minimum force necessary. We must possess the manpower to project sufficient military power wherever and whenever needed. The Pentagon has cleared the way — and now Congress must take the lead and act to strengthen our military.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole is a North Carolina Republican.
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