thedrifter
03-25-04, 06:59 AM
03-23-2004
Mr. Rumsfeld: Stop The Waste
Col. Hackworth:
I just finished reading several of your old articles and one in particular struck me. 14 MAR 95, "Its such a deal, I'll take two corps full" about how militarily effective and under budget the Marine Corps is. I just finished reading the 3ID AAR for OIF (250 pages) and a book by MG Ray L Smith, USMC ret. "The March up, Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division." MG Smith and another journalist rode with the Marines through the invasion in an SUV never more than a couple hundred yards from the front getting the good word as it happened. One of the first things he described was the Marines fighting on "LogLite," cutting down their load and supply train to be more mobile. I thought this was amazing considering how light Marines already fight. What struck me even more was their rate of advance compared to 3ID with its cumbersome and backlogged supply system. The 3ID AAR devoted many pages of critique to the problems of logistics, from stateside depots to the 2 1/2 ton convoys. With comparable objectives and enemy forces facing them, the Marines raced through Iraq.
After reading this and looking at my surroundings (coalition base in Baghdad), I realized why it costs $4 billion a month to run this war! The Army is spending money like there's no end (yeah, big surprise). Millions have been spent on building up this base which we may abandon in a year. We sometimes drive around in rented SUVs (which are referred to as Non Tactical Vehicles) at the price of $4000 a month each. I walk past a dozen of these on my way to work each day, and there's easily twice that many on this base. I'm not too very far into the loop on most matters (2LT), but I get the impression from my commanders that there's a bottomless pit of funds and they're partaking in it. The phrase is "impact purchase," buying equipment and comfort items for the unit not normally bought in garrison because there's a budget to adhere to.
I'm not trying to smack the Coalition or the Army, but I feel it would be easy to save the taxpayers a few bucks. Its possible I'm naive about these things and don't see the big picture, if there is one, but I remembered after reading your article and MG Smith's book how cost-effective the Marine Corps is. Oh, and by the way, the Marines are back in town.
Army 2LT in Baghdad
March 14, 1995
IT'S SUCH A DEAL, I'LL TAKE TWO CORPS FULL
http://www.sftt.org/daa/14mar95.html
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Special%20Reports.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=169&rnd=166.0571163424106
Ellie
Mr. Rumsfeld: Stop The Waste
Col. Hackworth:
I just finished reading several of your old articles and one in particular struck me. 14 MAR 95, "Its such a deal, I'll take two corps full" about how militarily effective and under budget the Marine Corps is. I just finished reading the 3ID AAR for OIF (250 pages) and a book by MG Ray L Smith, USMC ret. "The March up, Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division." MG Smith and another journalist rode with the Marines through the invasion in an SUV never more than a couple hundred yards from the front getting the good word as it happened. One of the first things he described was the Marines fighting on "LogLite," cutting down their load and supply train to be more mobile. I thought this was amazing considering how light Marines already fight. What struck me even more was their rate of advance compared to 3ID with its cumbersome and backlogged supply system. The 3ID AAR devoted many pages of critique to the problems of logistics, from stateside depots to the 2 1/2 ton convoys. With comparable objectives and enemy forces facing them, the Marines raced through Iraq.
After reading this and looking at my surroundings (coalition base in Baghdad), I realized why it costs $4 billion a month to run this war! The Army is spending money like there's no end (yeah, big surprise). Millions have been spent on building up this base which we may abandon in a year. We sometimes drive around in rented SUVs (which are referred to as Non Tactical Vehicles) at the price of $4000 a month each. I walk past a dozen of these on my way to work each day, and there's easily twice that many on this base. I'm not too very far into the loop on most matters (2LT), but I get the impression from my commanders that there's a bottomless pit of funds and they're partaking in it. The phrase is "impact purchase," buying equipment and comfort items for the unit not normally bought in garrison because there's a budget to adhere to.
I'm not trying to smack the Coalition or the Army, but I feel it would be easy to save the taxpayers a few bucks. Its possible I'm naive about these things and don't see the big picture, if there is one, but I remembered after reading your article and MG Smith's book how cost-effective the Marine Corps is. Oh, and by the way, the Marines are back in town.
Army 2LT in Baghdad
March 14, 1995
IT'S SUCH A DEAL, I'LL TAKE TWO CORPS FULL
http://www.sftt.org/daa/14mar95.html
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Special%20Reports.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=169&rnd=166.0571163424106
Ellie