NYT: Leaked Classified Report says we ARE vulnerable
Mon May 02, 2005 at 10:08:17 PM PDT
The
New York Times has received a copy of a
classified report that essentially says that because of Iraq and Afghanistan, our ability to undertake operations elsewhere in the world has been compromised.
Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, informed Congress in a classified report that major combat operations elsewhere in the world, should they be necessary, would probably be more protracted and produce higher American and foreign civilian casualties because of the commitment of Pentagon resources in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This report was
leaked, but only the Times has a story on it so far.
In the report, General Myers wrote, the military faces "moderate" risk in its mission to protect the United States, and he assessed the risk for preventing conflict - including surprise attack - as "moderate, but trending toward significant."
Though the general wrote that the military forces "will succeed in any" major combat operation, he added that "they may be unable to meet expectations for speed or precision as detailed in our current plans."
The annual "Chairman's Risk Assessment," which is required by Congress, warned that additional major combat operations "may result in significantly extended campaign timelines, and achieving campaign objectives may result in higher casualties and collateral damage."
That sounds pretty bad, to me. In fact, the risk level is
higher than in last year's report.
Last week, in his press conference, Bush answered the question differently:
Q Do you feel that the number of troops that you've kept there is limiting your options elsewhere in the world? Just today you had the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency say that he was now concerned that the North Koreans, for example, could put a weapon, a nuclear weapon on a missile that could reach Japan or beyond. Do you feel, as you are confronting these problems, the number of troops you've left tied up in Iraq is limiting your options to go beyond the diplomatic solutions that you described for North Korea and Iran?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I appreciate that question. The person to ask that to, the person I ask that to, at least, is to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, my top military advisor. I say, do you feel that we've limited our capacity to deal with other problems because of our troop levels in Iraq? And the answer is, no, he doesn't feel we're limited. He feels like we've got plenty of capacity.
In the Times article, the author goes on to cite unnamed senior officials who are concerned that the report might be "misinterepreted by adversaries as an admission of vulnerability". That is indeed an understatement. This statement is especially troubling:
In case of armed conflict, "There is no doubt what the outcome would be," said one senior official. "But it may not be as pretty," said another.
Not as pretty? What planet have they been on?
We are vulnerable. Myers is being somewhat frank about the situation (with an "upbeat final paragraph" that our armed forces "remain the most professional, best trained, and best equipped military in the world.") But Bush lied to us at the press conference. Now that the report has been leaked, the spinning has begun. There's a lot of bluster that we could handle any new combat operation, but no matter how you sugarcoat it, Gen. Myers acknowledges that there are serious problems with our readiness to deal with another military operation.
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