Letters to the Editor
Michael Lafferty
Published Letters: 8 Editor's Choice: 2
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Reorganizing and restructuring the US Army (every thing old is new again…)
[Read the article: Does a bigger Army mean another Iraq?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Respectfully, the US AIr Force, General 'shock and awe' Chuck Horner and his crowd should frankly be largely excluded from any discussion regarding the restructuring of the US Army and Marine Corps. Air superiority and coordinated close air support are critical to the success of ground forces, and while the US Marine Corps brings its embedded air operations to a theater, the US Army is largely dependent upon the US Air Force not only for fixed wing close air support, and large scale lift capability, but also for the establishment of a protective air cover.
But, the US Air Force seems determined to boost the concept that air power alone can decisively engage and defeat any enemy, a ridiculous and repeatedly repudiated concept. The Army, while it requires some specialized forces adapted to counterinsurgency missions and allied training requirements needs desperately to return to the pre-Rumsfeld days and recognize and honor decades of proven force-structure doctrine. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney and President Bush are responsible for the near destruction of the Army I knew as both and enlisted man and officer. The first public sign of the impending disaster was the cancellation of the Crusader weapons platform by Rumsfeld, followed by a restructuring plan the eliminated Corps and Division headquarters, heavy infantry and mechanized troops, air cavalry assets and other critically needed combat elements.
Anyone who say this restructuring effort unfold before we launched attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq could clearly seem the impending doom. These characters, reasonably characterized as war criminals by some, could not possibly have managed these conflicts given the boundaries they established by ignoring decades of doctrine, attacking with insufficient troops, the wrong collection of combat elements, and an almost utter lack units such as military police and air cavalry dedicated to rear area support tasks. Civil affairs units were brought in too late, in clearly insufficient numbers. The outcome of this disaster should have been obvious to any experienced Army officer, warrant officer or noncommissioned officer.
The Department of Defense needs to halt the race to the bottom by suspending the current force restructuring efforts, and return to a concept of Corps control over ten to thirteen active combat divisions, including airborne, air assault, armored, artillery, mechanized, cavalry and light divisions, supported by additional light, medium and heavy infantry, artillery and armored divisions from our reserve components. To this, can be added the required battalion and brigade strength training elements and special forces troops necessary to support counterinsurgency and early stabilization efforts.
It's pretty simple stuff, really - look at what work well for decades, and fine tune the force to meet the emerging challenges of this century, including stateless and state-supported terrorist elements. Only those as maniacally stupid as Bush, Cheney and Rumsfled could have possibly screwed this all up so badly.
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How about we exit our gas-guzzling vehicles and try another approach?
[Read the article: We paved paradise]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Almost two years ago, I decided to fundamentally change change my lifestyle. Just shy of 55, I disposed of my automobile and began riding a bicycle on a daily basis, supplement by the occasional bus ride. Alright, it's true: Eugene OR has made this an easier thing to do than many cities, having invested in bike paths and bike racks for buses but, that said, this change was a surprisingly easy one to make, and would have been so even without these ammenities.
I lost 60 pounds in the first year, reduced my blood pressure and tossed the medications I had been taking for several years. I am now far more fit and healthy, and have not purchased gasoline for almost two years.
People should frankly get off their 'fat asses' and find an alternative to driving, particularly to and from work. Some combination of public transit, car pooling, biking and walking would offer a degree of exercise we all need to most everyone, and dramatically reduce the cost of commuting. To say nothing of lowering the ongoing damage to the ecosystem, and the rising costs of maintaining our crumbling automotive infrastructure.