Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
May 16, 2007
Pg. 5
By Moni Basu
Gen. George Casey has been a busy man since he assumed the job of the Army's Chief of Staff a month ago.
He has been crisscrossing the United States, meeting with soldiers and their families about what the military can do to help them cope.
As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan drag on, Casey makes no bones about it: America's military community is under tremendous strain from multiple and extended deployments.
"We are starting to see the impact of five years of war on our soldiers, on our families, our equipment, our institutions," he said during a stop Tuesday in Atlanta, where he met with officials at Fort Gillem, home to 1st Army, and Fort McPherson, where Forces Command is based.
Both units are heavily involved in the training and mobilization of active duty soldiers and reservists.
"Combat is inherently brutal and difficult," Casey said. "It impacts human beings in different ways. We have programs we are working on to enhance the level of support for soldiers."
Casey's comments come at a time when some active duty units are on their third tour of Iraq. The Department of Defense also announced recently that 13,000 National Guard soldiers will be deployed to Iraq for the a second rotation in the war zone.
Casey said one woman at Fort Bragg told him that it's much harder to run a successful family readiness and support group the second or third time around.
He acknowledged that the Army needs to do more for soldiers -- who are returning home with post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries and other combat-related illnesses -- and their families who have endured months of separation and hardship.
Casey served as the top U.S. commander in Iraq for 2 1/2 years before taking over as chief of staff April 12. He said the Iraq experience "seasoned me in ways I don't even fully appreciate yet."
In his new job, Casey has laid out seven initiatives he thinks will build a stronger Army, including better readiness and support as well as a growth plan that accelerates the number of active-duty soldiers to 547,000 by 2010. That amounts to adding 10,000 soldiers every year.
Casey has said he is working on plans to retain experienced midlevel officers with $20,000 bonuses and other incentives. He also wants to aggressively pursue retention of combat-hardy non-commissioned officers who form the backbone of the Army.
When asked if today's Army was stretched too thin, Casey said the "short answer is no" but said the United States is not capable of sustaining current military efforts indefinitely.
"This is the first time since the Revolutionary War that we have had to sustain a voluntary force in extended conflict, so we don't really know what the limits are," Casey said. "We are at a level we cannot sustain indefinitely."
May 16, 2007
Pg. 5
By Moni Basu
Gen. George Casey has been a busy man since he assumed the job of the Army's Chief of Staff a month ago.
He has been crisscrossing the United States, meeting with soldiers and their families about what the military can do to help them cope.
As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan drag on, Casey makes no bones about it: America's military community is under tremendous strain from multiple and extended deployments.
"We are starting to see the impact of five years of war on our soldiers, on our families, our equipment, our institutions," he said during a stop Tuesday in Atlanta, where he met with officials at Fort Gillem, home to 1st Army, and Fort McPherson, where Forces Command is based.
Both units are heavily involved in the training and mobilization of active duty soldiers and reservists.
"Combat is inherently brutal and difficult," Casey said. "It impacts human beings in different ways. We have programs we are working on to enhance the level of support for soldiers."
Casey's comments come at a time when some active duty units are on their third tour of Iraq. The Department of Defense also announced recently that 13,000 National Guard soldiers will be deployed to Iraq for the a second rotation in the war zone.
Casey said one woman at Fort Bragg told him that it's much harder to run a successful family readiness and support group the second or third time around.
He acknowledged that the Army needs to do more for soldiers -- who are returning home with post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries and other combat-related illnesses -- and their families who have endured months of separation and hardship.
Casey served as the top U.S. commander in Iraq for 2 1/2 years before taking over as chief of staff April 12. He said the Iraq experience "seasoned me in ways I don't even fully appreciate yet."
In his new job, Casey has laid out seven initiatives he thinks will build a stronger Army, including better readiness and support as well as a growth plan that accelerates the number of active-duty soldiers to 547,000 by 2010. That amounts to adding 10,000 soldiers every year.
Casey has said he is working on plans to retain experienced midlevel officers with $20,000 bonuses and other incentives. He also wants to aggressively pursue retention of combat-hardy non-commissioned officers who form the backbone of the Army.
When asked if today's Army was stretched too thin, Casey said the "short answer is no" but said the United States is not capable of sustaining current military efforts indefinitely.
"This is the first time since the Revolutionary War that we have had to sustain a voluntary force in extended conflict, so we don't really know what the limits are," Casey said. "We are at a level we cannot sustain indefinitely."