The Associated Press is reporting that the pentagon has abondoned active-duty time limits.
For the first time since President Bush mobilized the National Guard and Reserve after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon is abandoning its limit on the time a citizen-soldier can be required to serve on active duty.
We're supposed to belive that this move is not at all related with Bush's announcement yesterday regarding sending 21,500 additional troops to Iraq.
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Thursday that the change would have been made even if Bush had not ordered an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, further straining the Army and Marine Corps.
So that mean that individuals currently serving in the military are obligated for life?
Announced at the same time are plans to increase the size of the military.
The Pentagon also announced it is proposing to Congress that the size of the Army be increased by 65,000, to 547,000 and that the Marine Corps, the smallest of the services, grow by 27,000, to 202,000, over the next five years. No cost estimate was provided, but officials said it would be at least several billion dollars.
As usual, the Bush administration continues to ram through military plans without a seconds thought to the cost.
A senior U.S. military official who briefed reporters Thursday on Iraq-related developments said that by next January, the Pentagon "probably will be calling again" on National Guard combat brigades that previously served yearlong tours in Iraq.
Looks like speculation on where the additional troops would come from has been confirmed. Current troops will now have to serve. And serve again. And serve again...
Thanks, Secretary of Defense Gates. You've already outdone Rumsfeld less than one month into the job.
Supposedly, worrying about the negative effect this may have on the troops and their families can not be avoided at this time.
The military tries to avoid extending combat tours and sending forces earlier than planned because it disrupts the lives of troops and their families and makes it harder for the services to get all troops through the education and training programs they need for promotions. But in this case it was deemed unavoidable.
The military is being pushed way beyond it's breaking limit folks. Get ready for the draft.
P.S. This being a pentagon diary, I thought a supplemental tip jar would be very appropriate. Please find below.