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General Says U.S. Troops Tired, Backs Forces Boost
Associated Press
Friday, March 15, 2002; Page A14
U.S. active-duty, reserve and National Guard troops are becoming exhausted from the pace of work fighting in Afghanistan, protecting the homeland and other efforts, a top general told Congress yesterday. He endorsed proposals to increase the forces.
"They‘re tired, sir," Army Gen. William F. Kernan, commander in chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command, told the House Armed Services Committee. "We are busy. We are busier than we have ever been."
Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) noted that leaders of the four military services have indicated they need 51,400 more people -- 40,000 for the Army, 6,000 for the Air Force, 2,400 for the Marines and 3,000 for the Navy. The current personnel caps are 480,000 for the Army, 358,800 for the Air Force, 172,600 for the Marines and 376,000 for the Navy.
Kernan said the size of the armed forces was significantly reduced over the past decade, and he praised Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld for deciding against additional cuts.
Despite great progress in the military‘s operational capabilities, leading to far more effective and precise deployment of forces, Kernan said, "there‘s still a limitation as to how broadly we can spread the forces we have today."
The Pentagon announced this week that the number of Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps reservists on active duty for the war against terrorism exceeded 80,000 for the first time since Sept. 11. It is the largest mobilization of the National Guard and Reserve since the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Associated Press
Friday, March 15, 2002; Page A14
U.S. active-duty, reserve and National Guard troops are becoming exhausted from the pace of work fighting in Afghanistan, protecting the homeland and other efforts, a top general told Congress yesterday. He endorsed proposals to increase the forces.
"They‘re tired, sir," Army Gen. William F. Kernan, commander in chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command, told the House Armed Services Committee. "We are busy. We are busier than we have ever been."
Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) noted that leaders of the four military services have indicated they need 51,400 more people -- 40,000 for the Army, 6,000 for the Air Force, 2,400 for the Marines and 3,000 for the Navy. The current personnel caps are 480,000 for the Army, 358,800 for the Air Force, 172,600 for the Marines and 376,000 for the Navy.
Kernan said the size of the armed forces was significantly reduced over the past decade, and he praised Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld for deciding against additional cuts.
Despite great progress in the military‘s operational capabilities, leading to far more effective and precise deployment of forces, Kernan said, "there‘s still a limitation as to how broadly we can spread the forces we have today."
The Pentagon announced this week that the number of Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps reservists on active duty for the war against terrorism exceeded 80,000 for the first time since Sept. 11. It is the largest mobilization of the National Guard and Reserve since the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
