40 thousand more Special Forces troops?

[DawnCt1]

One of the promises that John Kerry promised, should he be elected, is to increase the number of Special Forces soldiers. It is important to consider the length of time that it takes to provide the "basic" training required of SF soldiers. Those who qualified, enlisted and were trained just after 9/11/01 are just being deployed now. It isn't enough to just train them to their MOS's but they need to be attached to a team and learn to work with that specific group. The screening process is pretty diligent so how will he find 40,000 more men for SF in a timely way without lowering the very high standards required of them. He isn't considering a draft, is he? He is still out on the campaign trail promoting that rumor about President Bush.

 

[wvjules]

 

[jenfur]

My DH and I were discussing that while watching the debate. They talk about what they are going to do, but not how they intend to do it. The troops they say they will increase, but how? How can they recruit that many more into the military than anyone else and how can they vow to do it? I don't think they will have a draft, but they can't guarantee ANY number of new recruits. It just makes me wonder how anyone can believe any of his campaign promises because he clearly cannot back them up.

 

[4nana]

They talk about what they are going to do, but not how they intend to do it.

 

[WDSearcher]

I don't remember -- did Kerry give a time frame? If he said, "40,000 by next March", that's one thing. If he just said that his goal is to bring in 40,000 more special forces, then that's totally different.

Both Bush and Kerry have things they want to do that involve solid numbers -- most intelligent people understand that those are GOALS. Goals that they and their administrations will strive to reach.

Bush had lots of goals when he became president. Some he has achieved, some he has not. Same will be true of Kerry.

 

[lovemygoofy]

My husband is active duty. SF is constantly on our doorstep trying to recruit him. They can't keep the ones they have and not even in a cold day in Arkansas will they get 40k more. His other promise about creating another 2 Army divisions is a little optimistic. It's not because they aren't enough people to enlist, it's because it would be impossible to do that in four years. It would cost ALOT of money. He could maybe myabe create a division in four years but not two. He also mentioned creating a support divison. Well, I hate to burst his bubble but he needs to read up on what the army is doing. There won't be another support divison because support units no longer exist as their own entity. The have been absorbed by big brigades. This is a transformation that began last year and will run through 2008 I believe.

I am not a Joh Kerry basher or a George Bush supporter. I just enjoy people who have their facts straight.

Tina

 

[mudnuri]

I am not a Joh Kerry basher or a George Bush supporter. I just enjoy people who have their facts straight

that doesnt happen much around here when it comes to Policital Threads!

I cant wait for the election to be over...well- okay I cant wait till about May of next year- by then the election and the "i told you so" threads will be gone

Brandy

 

[vettechick99]

I got this email today from my sister's friend. It's his opinion, but I found it interesting.

_______________________________________

I had heard some of this from John Edwards, but I hoped that he was just being silly. Apparently Kerry brought this up again in last night's debate, so I just have to blast on this one:



"If elected, Kerry has vowed to add two active-duty Army divisions and would double the number of Special Forces"



1) I'm all for increased number of troops. But given lessons learned in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Army has already begun a pretty drastic restructuring. For every brigade, they are adding a new battalion of troops. Traditional unit types, like artillery and air-defense are being cut back, replaced by infantrymen. Bean-counters are being reduced, guys with guns are being increased. Major organizational shifts like this are a ***** to implement, but the 3rd Infantry Division, my old alma mater at Ft. Stewart, have already begun this process. Kerry's plan to create two new divisions is almost the opposite of this. Yes, there will be more combat troops, but with new divisions comes a corresponding increase in command & staff, supply, etc. So more REMFs. Not to mention the increased costs of activating new divisions and all the associated costs therein. The current buildup plan is much more efficient, and does what REALLY need to be done: puts more guys with guns on the ground.



2)And for me, this is the REAL big one: "double the number of Special Forces." This tells me that anything Kerry ever knew about the military, he has forgotten. The Special Forces are just that-special. They are the Elite. For the Army, the only thing equal or above them is Delta force, and the two have very different missions. Delta is quick reaction, anti-hostage type stuff. Their missions are planned, rehearsed, and usually over in a matter of minutes. They hit hard and fast, and get out. On the other hand, the Special Forces are inserted into indigenous populations to train the locals into soldiers. And then they lead them into battle. Along the way, they do all sorts of public works type projects-using U.S. technology and know-how to help dig wells, build bridges, teach basic hygiene, set up medical facilities. This means that these soldiers are inserted for many months at a time, building relationships with the local populations. It takes a very special person to be able to do these things. They are at the peak of physical fitness. They are incredibly well trained- no mere combat medic here, the SF medic is more like a doctor or field surgeon. Ditto for their commo specialist, and for every other specialty that a Special Forces A-Team is made of.



The point is, these aren't your everyday ordinary grunt. I know, because I used to be an everyday ordinary grunt. Twice a year, once I became a Sergeant, SF would hold a recruiting drive to get people to go through their selection process. Here's where the rubber meets the road: their selection process. It is incredibly challenging, both physically and mentally, designed to push the applicant to the very edge of his abilities. It's a test to see what you can do, and if you will fold. They usually pass between 5-10% of their applicants. And after passing selection, the specialized training begins, which is equally tough, but on a mental level. The medic training alone lasts 2 years. And if you screw up the training program, you're gone.



So these guys are the best of the best. Volunteers in a volunteer Army who have been vetted until only the cream of the crop are left. So how are you going to double their numbers? Unless you can double the number of candidates, there's only one way to do that: force them to lower their standards. And that would be the absolute worse thing that could happen. Quantity over quality doesn't work with SF. If anything, all Kerry's plan would do would be to make the Special Forces less than special. Then we could call them Kerry's Mediocre Forces.



This is a typical Kerry response: do something for the appearance of doing something, rather than for the reality of fixing the problem. Or worse yet, he just has no clue what he is talking about. Whatever. The fact remains that he probably shouldn't be considered as commander in chief of our armed forces, and making sweeping plans for them, when he has no clue of how to use them. Somebody probably told him that SF had been doing a great job in Afghanistan and Iraq.


________________________________________

And I agree with Brandy. I'm so sick of political anything (debates, commercials, threads, news stories), I'll be glad when it's over.

 

[sha_lyn]

He isn't considering a draft, is he? He is still out on the campaign trail promoting that rumor about President Bush.

Don't you love how the bill used to support the rumor was drafted and submitted by 2 democrates who have now admitted they wrote the bill to "put pressure on the president". It is really sad how many people actually think that there is any truth to the dem scam.