DOD數據： 強迫停留在軍隊
星期三， 2008年4月23日
由 湯姆Vanden溪 |
軍隊加速義務不隨意的引伸它的政策去年支持它的隊伍水平，儘管國防部長羅伯特門』順序限制它，五角大樓紀錄展示。
門指揮聯合參謀長的主席和服務秘書使必須的遊覽引伸減到最小，以「中止損失著名」，於2007年1月。 在5月前，政策的影響的戰士的數量下降到3年的低落8,540。
從那以後，戰士的數量被迫使保持在軍隊上升了43%到12,235在3月。 當軍事在美國，寄發了更多隊伍到伊拉克和被擴大的遊覽到15個月到支持逐步升級對中止損失的信賴增加了。 布什總統命令的力量。 需要上個月駕駛增量派遣國民自衛隊戰士到伊拉克。
中止損失的影響的戰士現在服務，平均，一個額外6.6月，五角大樓新聞秘書Geoff Morrell認為。 關鍵領導在小單位水平-軍士通過上士-組成45%那些戰士。 戰士為4年的限制典型地徵。
「門瞭解困難中止損失姿勢對我們的隊伍和他們的家庭的秘書，但他在戰場也瞭解需要維護言詞一致的單位在部署中」， Morrell說。 「一起訓練了并且一起戰鬥了的隊伍應該一起保持」。
趨向是驚心的，說Rep。 克里斯托弗Shays， RConn。，在4月17日寫一封信給敦促他「用最強的期限的」門給擋塊損失。
去年，他們關注使用政策支持力量為所謂的浪湧的Shays和其他三名議院成員寫了門一個相似的信件說法。 它損害士氣，負擔進軍』家庭，損壞軍事領導的可信度并且威脅吸收，他們寫了。
如果他們的單位部署90在天內的戰士的承諾的結尾中止損失在服務可能保留戰士。 軍隊說是必要的，維護朝向的單位正直打仗。 總計， 58,300位戰士受中止損失的影響自2002年以來，根據軍隊。 That’s about 1% of active duty, Reserve and National Guard troops. For the 3rd Infantry Division, which is responsible for a portion of Iraq south of Baghdad, about 1,500 of its 22,500 soldiers is serving under stop loss, according to Maj. Alayne Conway.
Shays said the nation needs a bigger Army. In the meantime, he urges the Pentagon to press more personnel from the Air Force and Navy into Army jobs.
PENTAGON MEMO:Army’s response to minimizing stop loss (pdf)
The policy shows the Army is “unraveling a bit” while “under tremendous strain,” said Rep. Joe Sestak, a Pennsylvania Democrat and retired vice admiral. Sestak, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said relying on stop loss could be masking problems the Army is having with recruiting.
“We don’t have the individual in terms of quality or quantity to take that next individual’s place so that he could finish his tour and go home,” Sestak said. “This is five years into the war. I don’t think this is insignificant.”
James Martin, a social work professor at Bryn Mawr College and retired Army colonel, said stop loss is the result of an Army that’s too small to meet its commitments in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Sergeants are often most affected.
“These are the guys who bear the brunt of it,” Martin said. “They just get put back into the grinder continually.”
In January 2007, Gates wrote to secretaries of the services and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that included a directive to submit plans to “minimize the use of Stop Loss.” In reply, then-Army secretary Francis Harvey wrote that the Army would pay soldiers facing stop loss $300 extra per month “to extend their enlistment to complete their deployment.”
PENTAGON MEMO: Gates addresses stop loss (pdf)
Harvey wrote that the plan “could reduce the number of soldiers affected by (stop loss) by as much as 50%.” Soldiers who didn’t take the pay, he added, would still be subject to involuntary extension.
Lt. Gen. James Thurman, Pentagon deputy chief of staff for operations, said Monday he hoped the Army could put a stop to mandatory extensions by fall 2009.
Although some soldiers say they understand the reasons for stop loss, it doesn’t boost morale, said Robert Sauder, 24, a staff sergeant who was involuntarily retained in 2006 when he was preparing to leave the service. By then, he’d spent 13 months in Afghanistan. Then he spent 15 months in Iraq.
Sauder, of Baroda, Mich., said he “was pretty sour about the whole situation.”
Near Kirkuk, he and his comrades dodged rockets, mortars and roadside bombs. “It ended up pretty good for me and my guys. We made it back alive.”
See More:USA NewsHave Your Say: DOD data: More forced to stay in Army
Please note, only selected comments will be published.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008at 3:09 amand is filed under War & Terrorism News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Free Newsletter
Loading ...Related News
- US soldiers to stay longer in Iraq
- Prince Harry decision causes fury
- Pentagon alerts 35,000 soldiers for Iraq deployment
- US recruiting under diploma soldiers
- Bush promises more troops for Afghanistan
Latest Headlines
- Question For RINF Users: Do You Want a Forum?
- Students Skip Class For Obama Event, Get Suspended
- Olympic protest movement turns its sights on to sponsors
- Gitmo Torture Orders Came From The Top
- Feds to require visitors’ fingerprints when they leave US
- Police: DNA database ready as early as next year
- Murdoch to buy New York rival
- Chertoff Says Fingerprints Aren’t ‘Personal Data’
- MEPs to keep audit of wage abuse secret
- DOD data: More forced to stay in Army
More Breaking News
Archive