Eisenhower's Farewell Address

[jpmuscle]

Indeed. Our current war is being funded as an "Emergency Supplemental Appropriation" as if this war we have been fighting for over 12 years just snuck up on us. By CBO estimates the total cost of this war will be around 3 trillion dollars by 2017. Keeping in mind that we currently plan to stay in Afghanistan until 2024. And keeping in mind that this last Omnibus Spend Bill was about 1 trillion dollars. And keeping in mind that about 50% of that money is borrowed and will accrue interest. So, just to run a shockingly pointless war, we are spending around 5 years worth of Federal budgets just to keep us stuck to this tar baby. And let's not forget the Black Budget that we use to spy on Americans, and the money we spend on the Courts to keep the Prison Industrial Complex running to violate the civil rights of Americans (9th and 10th Amendment respectively) all in the name of the pointless Drug War.

You know, the Founders warned us of the dangers of a Standing Army. The object lesson is right in front of our faces.

You mean the bill that once again nobody has read or knows what is actually in it...?

Yea, we suck to the enth degree as usual it seems.

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[Belmont31R]

We are paying troops in Germany pass inspections and take 4 day weekends.

Expand? Not sure what you mean.


Rotating people is much better now. It's better to rotate units than personnel.

[Armati]

Expand? Not sure what you mean.


Rotating people is much better now. It's better to rotate units than personnel.

Better than half of the Army has no role in supporting the current war. None. And even their strategic value is rather dubious. The fact is, with the exception of the 173rd ABN and some 10th SFG most of the people in Europe will never deploy. They don't rotate those guys to one of the real operational units. People homestead in Europe for years and the hardcharger who has 3+ deployments under his belt will never get one of those cushy jobs holding down a desk in, say, Moron Spain. Around 2009 I worked with an AD SF SGM in Africa who had never deployed to combat zone. At the same exercise I met National Guard MPs who already had 3 deployments. Please explain.

We have entirely too much force structure just sitting around. Again, cut the AD in half and double the size and capability of the RC. I have worked in enough assignments over the last 20+ to realize that AD does not necessarily equal better. I have worked with fantastic NG units that bust their ass everyday (working 16 hour days in many cases) over the course of a year long deployment. And I have worked with AD SOF who over the course of their 9 month deployment did little more than Sleep, Eat, Lift. Great troops and great units are where you find them. Again, it is time for everyone and every program to justify it's existence.

[Belmont31R]

Better than half of the Army has no role in supporting the current war. None. And even their strategic value is rather dubious. The fact is, with the exception of the 173rd ABN and some 10th SFG most of the people in Europe will never deploy. They don't rotate those guys to one of the real operational units. People homestead in Europe for years and the hardcharger who has 3+ deployments under his belt will never get one of those cushy jobs holding down a desk in, say, Moron Spain. Around 2009 I worked with an AD SF SGM in Africa who had never deployed to combat zone. At the same exercise I met National Guard MPs who already had 3 deployments. Please explain.

We have entirely too much force structure just sitting around. Again, cut the AD in half and double the size and capability of the RC. I have worked in enough assignments over the last 20+ to realize that AD does not necessarily equal better. I have worked with fantastic NG units that bust their ass everyday (working 16 hour days in many cases) over the course of a year long deployment. And I have worked with AD SOF who over the course of their 9 month deployment did little more than Sleep, Eat, Lift. Great troops and great units are where you find them. Again, it is time for everyone and every program to justify it's existence.

My last 1SG didn't have a combat patch. There's a lot of waste.

They moved the big units that deploy out of Germany. I was 1AD and we deployed twice from Germany. They deployed a 3rd time after I left. 1ID replaced us, and they deployed from Germany. I was at Wiesbaden and that post is now some sort of HQ now. I looked on Google maps and they expanded a lot.

Yeah deployments can vary greatly. I guess people can find posts that don't deploy. They exist. But if people want to they can. We worked with a lot of advisory teams and they were all made up of senior NCO's and O's. They had ltcol's in turrets and were out and about constantly. I believe they were mostly volunteer positions. I had a PSG volunteer for for a MITT team.