Posted on Feb 24, 2014

Shrinking the Military, is Hagel the man for the job?

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So far Defense Secretary Hagel has acted like the soldiers' soldier we all expected him to be but does he have the military wherewithal to properly realign our forces?

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Posted 12 y ago

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Responses: 6

SGT James Elphick

Posted 12 y ago

His budget also proposes to do away with the A-10. I guess he thinks an F-35 with 5 mins loiter time and 170 rounds is sufficient air cover in a prolonged firefight.

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SGT(P) (Join to see)

12 y

The F-35, isn't that a prototype jet that hasn't even been fielded that costs double what the A-10 does with no guarantee that it will actually work?

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SGT James Elphick

12 y

That is exactly what it is. Double might be an understatement though

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SFC (Join to see)

Posted 12 y ago

I was in during the 1990's and what it did to the Army, then a war started and they had to activate nearly every NG and Reserve unit because there weren't enough active forces.

China, Russia and Iran are all breathing down our necks! Mark my words there is going to be another war.

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SFC Michael Hasbun

12 y

Lets hope so, war is job security..

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SFC James Baber

Posted 12 y ago

I truly believe he is becoming the political pawn that many felt he would become before his nomination had been approved and his name first came up for the job. While he is a the 1st former enlisted to ever hold the post, he has a history of being a yes man in many positions he has held during his civilian career after the military of the Vietnam era.

I think this is just another politician that is more concerned with keeping the political status quo happy than taking care of the troops and the military as a SECDEF is supposed to do, he is supposed to fight DC on our behalf not join them in dismantling the military and taking more and more benefits away that have been earned through blood, sweat and tears, not to mention the lives sacrificed for them to have the ability to take the benefits away.

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SGT James Elphick

12 y

I was waiting to respond because I wanted to see how things were playing out but it looks like you were pretty much spot on. He's cutting troops and keep military contracts to keep the political status quo happy

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SGT(P) (Join to see)

Posted 12 y ago

Well, he wouldn't have to thin the ranks as much if he'd just cut most of the b.s. contracts we're currently suffering under the economic weight of.

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SGT James Elphick

12 y

It looks like he opted to keep the contracts and cut soldiers and their benefits instead

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SGT(P) (Join to see)

12 y

To be fair, I understand that it costs less for contractors in the sense that if they die there are no death gratuities. However callous it might sound though, they simply aren't dying enough for that to really be a tangible factor. So...at somewhere around cents on the dollar, the government can pay us to do the same job at a more cost effective rate. As for the contractors, while I like and enjoy many of them, sorry I'm not sorry.

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SSG Mike Angelo

Posted 12 y ago

I believe Sec Def Hagel has his list of collaborative partnerships,and resources to get this alignment accomplished. It may not look pretty, but I have all the confidence in his persona and staff. It looks to me, from my angle and lense that Hagel is working from the outside in. Developing a path for soon to be veterans and a fast contingent path for just-in-time deployments for a future fight. The fight within our borders and the global fight off-shore.

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1SG (Join to see)

Posted 12 y ago

We are headed for a Task Force Smith.

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SGT James Elphick

12 y

I don't think that is necessarily the case. TF Smith was undermanned and under-equipped. The ODA team that held off an Iraqi armored battalion with Javelins pretty much guarantees there will be not repeat of TF Smith. With the proper training and right technology smaller units can conduct and complete much larger operations than they were previously capable of. Shrinking the force is not necessarily a bad thing, except they are giving priority to unproven, overbudget weapons programs instead of the capability to put boots on the ground and conduct operations in conflict areas

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Shrinking the Military, is Hagel the man for the job?

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