Posted on Mar 6, 2014
SFC A.M. Drake
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If You were Secretary of Defense for a day, What are some of the decisions you would make regarding the future direction of the department? Fiscally, Human Resources? Equipment, etc? Why?
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Responses: 3
SGT Journeyman Plumber
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For starters, end this ridiculous mess that has become the search for a new uniform and M4 replacement.
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SFC A.M. Drake
SFC A.M. Drake
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Please explain your position, remember you are the SOD for a day, articulation is a must, especially if its to be understood by those that are under your care.
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SGT Journeyman Plumber
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I'm happy to elaborate, but there's a reason why I'm not the SOD! Also, I come from an Army background, so my knowledge is limited by that. I'm sure the Navy/Air Force/Marines have their own issues, but I'll stick with my original two Army issues.

For uniforms, I fall into the OCP or MARPAT camp. I think it is beyond silly, and incredibly wasteful, to sink ungodly amounts of money into a new uniform pattern when we have two (technically three) incredibly popular and effective uniforms already in circulation. This shouldn't be a hard decision, and yet it's been dragged out for years with no resolution in clear sight.

For replacing the M4, why fix something that isn't broken? Sure, there are other options out there of debatable superiority, but the M4 is effective and already in wide circulation within the Army. Why waste money acquiring a new weapon that only marginally improves upon what we have? I simply don't see the cost/benefit ratio being favorable.
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SSgt Carpenter
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Can't agree more. Looking for a replacement for the M4 is a waste of money. Spend the money the spend looking for a replacement for the weapon, and spend it on training troops to use the weapon, and most, if not all the problems would go away.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
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New strategies to fight insurgencies and a better understanding of foreign cultures and components of the countries.
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SGT Michael Glenn
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I can only go off of my personal experiences and what I have seen in the media to answer this one. I would make all ranks in all branches of service answerable to the same rules and regulations, if a Pvt cannot have a pot gut and must be in top shape, so should ALL of our leaders..ALL OF THEM!! If a lowley soldier is not able to get away with breaking UCMJ then neither should Upper ranking either. I always heard and found it soooooo damn funny that this unit or that unit was COMBAT READY....SERIOUSLY???? All we did was simulate this or simulate that, so what gives anyone the right to say his/her troops are COMBAT READY??? Training should be upped to the next level, I got so frustrated in being told that live fire ranges had been canceled because there wasnt enough money in the units budget to be able to actually fire our weapons, and then watch the news about how a General was able to order leather chairs for 30k a pop, hammers for 10k a pop just so his unit s funding wouldnt be lowered the following fiscal year and yes this happened in Germany at Ramstein around 89/90.
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SFC A.M. Drake
SFC A.M. Drake
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I was in Germany during that timeframe as I was there
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