Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
San Antonio Express-News
February 7, 2008 By Sig Christenson, Express-News
The commander who led U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan for the bulk of both conflicts said Wednesday that the surge is straining America's military.
But retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, who led the U.S. Central Command until last spring, told reporters in San Antonio there are solutions to the problem and a decision to be made as America settles in for a long struggle with Islamic militants.
"Clearly there is a stress on the force but there is a choice," he said in a news conference at Trinity University. "There's a choice of making the armed forces bigger, especially the ground forces, or bringing the force down in the theater."
In town to speak at Trinity's Distinguished Lecture Series, Abizaid made his remarks on the same day the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned Congress that combat operations are taking a toll on the troops. Adm. Michael Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the nation faces "long-term risks" to its security commitments if the Pentagon fails to address the impact of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on troops, equipment and families.
"The well is deep," the Pentagon's Armed Forces Press Service quoted Mullen as telling senators, "but it is not infinite."
As commander of the Tampa, Fla.-based command, Abizaid oversaw both wars after replacing Gen. Tommy Franks in summer 2003. He remained in the job until retiring this past May and has since moved to Nevada.
Abizaid told those in attendance at an hourlong speech at Trinity that they should be prepared for a long war in the volatile Middle East. He said four issues are driving the conflict — Sunni Islamic extremists such as those in al-Qaida; Shiite revolutionary theology driven by Iran; the continuing struggle between Israel and the Palestinians; and the region's most valuable commodity — oil.
U.S. troops are needed to deal with al-Qaida, Abizaid said, but he added that Iran could be contained without going to war.
"Is war possible with Iran? It's possible. Is it likely? I don't know; I don't think so. I think there are many ways to deal with Iranian power," he said.
But Abizaid also said that while America must be in the region, "It doesn't mean we necessarily need to be at war with military forces there at the same level as we currently do today."
The strain on U.S. forces since the surge last year added 28,000 GIs to a 130,000-strong force has prompted top commanders, including Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, to say that larger troop levels in Iraq cannot be maintained indefinitely.
Abizaid told those at the lecture that the stress on combat troops has hit home, explaining that his son-in-law has been to Iraq three times and Afghanistan once — and was wounded during one of those duty tours.
"And although he's a great soldier and he wants to continue to fight, and he's confident about the outcome, my daughter, who's a soldier's daughter, has her doubts at times about holding the family together," said Abizaid, who spent 34 years in the Army. "We've got to figure out how to use these forces wisely over time, and I have no doubt that we can do that."
February 7, 2008 By Sig Christenson, Express-News
The commander who led U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan for the bulk of both conflicts said Wednesday that the surge is straining America's military.
But retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, who led the U.S. Central Command until last spring, told reporters in San Antonio there are solutions to the problem and a decision to be made as America settles in for a long struggle with Islamic militants.
"Clearly there is a stress on the force but there is a choice," he said in a news conference at Trinity University. "There's a choice of making the armed forces bigger, especially the ground forces, or bringing the force down in the theater."
In town to speak at Trinity's Distinguished Lecture Series, Abizaid made his remarks on the same day the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned Congress that combat operations are taking a toll on the troops. Adm. Michael Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the nation faces "long-term risks" to its security commitments if the Pentagon fails to address the impact of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on troops, equipment and families.
"The well is deep," the Pentagon's Armed Forces Press Service quoted Mullen as telling senators, "but it is not infinite."
As commander of the Tampa, Fla.-based command, Abizaid oversaw both wars after replacing Gen. Tommy Franks in summer 2003. He remained in the job until retiring this past May and has since moved to Nevada.
Abizaid told those in attendance at an hourlong speech at Trinity that they should be prepared for a long war in the volatile Middle East. He said four issues are driving the conflict — Sunni Islamic extremists such as those in al-Qaida; Shiite revolutionary theology driven by Iran; the continuing struggle between Israel and the Palestinians; and the region's most valuable commodity — oil.
U.S. troops are needed to deal with al-Qaida, Abizaid said, but he added that Iran could be contained without going to war.
"Is war possible with Iran? It's possible. Is it likely? I don't know; I don't think so. I think there are many ways to deal with Iranian power," he said.
But Abizaid also said that while America must be in the region, "It doesn't mean we necessarily need to be at war with military forces there at the same level as we currently do today."
The strain on U.S. forces since the surge last year added 28,000 GIs to a 130,000-strong force has prompted top commanders, including Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, to say that larger troop levels in Iraq cannot be maintained indefinitely.
Abizaid told those at the lecture that the stress on combat troops has hit home, explaining that his son-in-law has been to Iraq three times and Afghanistan once — and was wounded during one of those duty tours.
"And although he's a great soldier and he wants to continue to fight, and he's confident about the outcome, my daughter, who's a soldier's daughter, has her doubts at times about holding the family together," said Abizaid, who spent 34 years in the Army. "We've got to figure out how to use these forces wisely over time, and I have no doubt that we can do that."