Reserves are Broken

We are safer this I know, for Dear Leader tells us so.

The Army Reserve, a force of some 200,000 part-time soldiers who provide key support in Iraq and Afghanistan with medics, engineers and truck drivers, "is rapidly degenerating into a 'broken' force," its top general has told senior Army leaders.

Lt. Gen. James R. "Ron" Helmly, the chief of the Army Reserve, in a blunt and detailed memo, cited the demands of overseas commitments and the unwillingness of Army and Pentagon officials to change "dysfunctional" policies that are hampering the Army Reserve on issues ranging from training and extension of service time to the mobilization of his soldiers.

The Dec. 20 memo, obtained by The Sun, said that in meeting "current demands" of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Reserve is in "grave danger" of being unable to meet other missions in Pentagon contingency plans or help with domestic emergencies "and is rapidly degenerating into a 'broken force.'"

"The purpose of this memorandum is to inform you of the Army Reserve's inability to meet mission requirements" in Iraq and Afghanistan "and to reset and regenerate its forces for follow-on and future missions," Helmly wrote in the eight-page memo sent through Army channels for the Army's chief of staff, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker. "I do not wish to sound alarmist. I do wish to send a clear, distinctive signal of deepening concern."

Interviewed yesterday at the Pentagon, Helmly said, "I stand by the memorandum. Is there frustration? Absolutely. Is the frustration beyond control? No."

...

A senior Army official, who requested anonymity, said yesterday that unexpected troop requirements in Iraq led to the problems outlined by Helmly. The active duty forces needed there continually rose over the past year, requiring an increased number of Reserve soldiers to provide support. The official said some policies would have to change.

The 150,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq include about 30,000 Army Reserve soldiers serving in Iraq and Kuwait.