Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Topeka Capital-Journal
October 25, 2007 Joint Chiefs chairman hears concerns of troops
By Tim Carpenter, The Capital-Journal
FORT RILEY — Two hundred sergeants went one-on-one Wednesday with the nation's top military commander at a town-hall gathering that exposed troop anxiety about conflicts beyond Iraq and Afghanistan.
Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, one month into a new assignment as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked to consider whether the U.S. military should reach inside Iran to interrupt the supply of insurgent forces in Iraq. President Bush also has denounced development of nuclear weapons by Iran.
"I'm not one to take military options off the table," Mullen said. "However, I'm a firm believer they should be options of last resort. I'd worry a great deal about getting into a conflict with a third country in that part of the world right now."
In response to another question, the admiral said diplomacy should be used to discourage an invasion by Turkey of northern Iraq. Turkey is an important ally of the United States in the region.
"There is tremendous amount of diplomatic effort right now going on to not create a situation that spins out of control across that border," Mullen said.
Questions from the Army and Air Force troops included personal concerns about the scarcity of military medical staff members at stateside U.S. bases, the inability of soldiers to enroll in advanced training schools and a problem with price gouging of service members in the Junction City housing market.
The unifying theme was strain on troops and their families from repeated combat deployments. Most of the sergeants at the forum had been overseas two or three times, while some had deployed as many as five times.
The first soldier to speak asked Mullen why the United States didn't impose a draft to better cope with troop demands in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mullen said he served in Vietnam when the country still relied on a draft to fill military personnel needs and wasn't enthusiastic about returning to that system.
"This is the most combat-ready, combat-hardened military we've ever had in our history. I treasure that," he said. "I'd worry about moving to a draft and integrating all that into where we are right now, risking the professional level that we have risen to."
Mullen said the current rotation of 15 months on battlefield deployment followed by 12 months at home should be phased out as the current missions allow. The goal is 12 months deployed and 15 months back home, he said, with the more permanent objective one year deployed for every three years at home.
"We've got missions right now we've got to succeed in. That's what we get paid to do," he said.
Mullen repeatedly praised the troops for their dedication and acknowledged the morale-draining stress borne by spouses and children. The goal over the next several years is to add 90,000 troops to the Army and Marines to bring relief from future deployments, he said.
"There's not an overnight fix here," he said. "If I had one, I'd pull it off the shelf and do it."
The admiral said he was in Iraq several weeks ago and was impressed by security improvements.
"That said, the economics got to move and the politics have got to move," he said. "Those security forces can only do this for so long without the other two legs of that three-legged stool — security, politics and economics — kicking in. I'm a little more optimistic than I was before I went, but the next six, seven, eight months are critical."
Mullen included Fort Riley in a tour of military installations in Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. He also spoke with Army captains at Fort Sill, Okla., with officers in the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, and with Army recruiters in Denver.
"In all the services," Mullen said, "I'm not sure there's a tougher job right now than recruiting."
Prior to speaking with the sergeants at Fort Riley, he presided at a ceremony where five soldiers re-enlisted. He said those troops said they were drawn to service to their country, but also monetary bonuses and choice of duty assignments.
"Your service at this time in our nation's history is service I don't take for granted," the four-star admiral said. "That oath that I just gave is a very precious oath. Not a lot of people in this country raise their hands."
While at Fort Riley, Mullen toured the Warrior Transition Unit for injured soldiers. He said programs for wounded service members must continue to improve. The goal is smooth transition from a U.S. military treatment facility to a hospital operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, he said.
"We got to make sure we get that right for the people who have sacrificed so much," he said.
Reporters were allowed to observe Mullen's conversation with Fort Riley's soldiers, but rules prohibited publication of names of sergeants asking questions or making comments. Identifying the men and women might inhibit them, a Fort Riley spokesman said.
October 25, 2007 Joint Chiefs chairman hears concerns of troops
By Tim Carpenter, The Capital-Journal
FORT RILEY — Two hundred sergeants went one-on-one Wednesday with the nation's top military commander at a town-hall gathering that exposed troop anxiety about conflicts beyond Iraq and Afghanistan.
Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, one month into a new assignment as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked to consider whether the U.S. military should reach inside Iran to interrupt the supply of insurgent forces in Iraq. President Bush also has denounced development of nuclear weapons by Iran.
"I'm not one to take military options off the table," Mullen said. "However, I'm a firm believer they should be options of last resort. I'd worry a great deal about getting into a conflict with a third country in that part of the world right now."
In response to another question, the admiral said diplomacy should be used to discourage an invasion by Turkey of northern Iraq. Turkey is an important ally of the United States in the region.
"There is tremendous amount of diplomatic effort right now going on to not create a situation that spins out of control across that border," Mullen said.
Questions from the Army and Air Force troops included personal concerns about the scarcity of military medical staff members at stateside U.S. bases, the inability of soldiers to enroll in advanced training schools and a problem with price gouging of service members in the Junction City housing market.
The unifying theme was strain on troops and their families from repeated combat deployments. Most of the sergeants at the forum had been overseas two or three times, while some had deployed as many as five times.
The first soldier to speak asked Mullen why the United States didn't impose a draft to better cope with troop demands in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mullen said he served in Vietnam when the country still relied on a draft to fill military personnel needs and wasn't enthusiastic about returning to that system.
"This is the most combat-ready, combat-hardened military we've ever had in our history. I treasure that," he said. "I'd worry about moving to a draft and integrating all that into where we are right now, risking the professional level that we have risen to."
Mullen said the current rotation of 15 months on battlefield deployment followed by 12 months at home should be phased out as the current missions allow. The goal is 12 months deployed and 15 months back home, he said, with the more permanent objective one year deployed for every three years at home.
"We've got missions right now we've got to succeed in. That's what we get paid to do," he said.
Mullen repeatedly praised the troops for their dedication and acknowledged the morale-draining stress borne by spouses and children. The goal over the next several years is to add 90,000 troops to the Army and Marines to bring relief from future deployments, he said.
"There's not an overnight fix here," he said. "If I had one, I'd pull it off the shelf and do it."
The admiral said he was in Iraq several weeks ago and was impressed by security improvements.
"That said, the economics got to move and the politics have got to move," he said. "Those security forces can only do this for so long without the other two legs of that three-legged stool — security, politics and economics — kicking in. I'm a little more optimistic than I was before I went, but the next six, seven, eight months are critical."
Mullen included Fort Riley in a tour of military installations in Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. He also spoke with Army captains at Fort Sill, Okla., with officers in the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, and with Army recruiters in Denver.
"In all the services," Mullen said, "I'm not sure there's a tougher job right now than recruiting."
Prior to speaking with the sergeants at Fort Riley, he presided at a ceremony where five soldiers re-enlisted. He said those troops said they were drawn to service to their country, but also monetary bonuses and choice of duty assignments.
"Your service at this time in our nation's history is service I don't take for granted," the four-star admiral said. "That oath that I just gave is a very precious oath. Not a lot of people in this country raise their hands."
While at Fort Riley, Mullen toured the Warrior Transition Unit for injured soldiers. He said programs for wounded service members must continue to improve. The goal is smooth transition from a U.S. military treatment facility to a hospital operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, he said.
"We got to make sure we get that right for the people who have sacrificed so much," he said.
Reporters were allowed to observe Mullen's conversation with Fort Riley's soldiers, but rules prohibited publication of names of sergeants asking questions or making comments. Identifying the men and women might inhibit them, a Fort Riley spokesman said.