thedrifter
11-22-06, 01:07 PM
More Marines may be needed in terror war
Updated 11/22/2006 11:33 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Marine Corps may need to increase in size in order to sustain continued deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan without sacrificing needed training or putting undue stress on the corps, the Marine commandant said Wednesday.
At a breakfast meeting with reporters, Gen. James Conway said the current pace of rotations to Iraq — seven months there and a bit more than seven months back home — is limiting other types of training and could eventually prompt Marines to leave the service.
The goal, he said, is to spend twice the amount of time at home that was spent on deployment — for example seven months deployed and 14 months at home.
Conway, who took on the Marines' top job just eight days ago, said there are two ways to deal with the ongoing stress on the Marines, and that "one is reducing the requirement, the other is potentially growing the force for what we call the long war."
His comments came as the Pentagon and the Bush administration are finalizing the budget for Fiscal 2008, starting next Oct. 1, in which the armed services are hoping to get increased funding to carry on the warfighting. Conway said he could not say how much money, or additional funding, the Marines would be seeking.
There are currently about 180,000 active duty Marines.
Conway said that recommendations coming out of the various reviews on Iraq policy will have an impact on whether more forces are needed. But if the decision is made to increase the size of the Marine presence in Iraq — currently about 141,000 with roughly 20,000 Marines — he has enough Marines around the globe to respond.
Ellie
Updated 11/22/2006 11:33 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Marine Corps may need to increase in size in order to sustain continued deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan without sacrificing needed training or putting undue stress on the corps, the Marine commandant said Wednesday.
At a breakfast meeting with reporters, Gen. James Conway said the current pace of rotations to Iraq — seven months there and a bit more than seven months back home — is limiting other types of training and could eventually prompt Marines to leave the service.
The goal, he said, is to spend twice the amount of time at home that was spent on deployment — for example seven months deployed and 14 months at home.
Conway, who took on the Marines' top job just eight days ago, said there are two ways to deal with the ongoing stress on the Marines, and that "one is reducing the requirement, the other is potentially growing the force for what we call the long war."
His comments came as the Pentagon and the Bush administration are finalizing the budget for Fiscal 2008, starting next Oct. 1, in which the armed services are hoping to get increased funding to carry on the warfighting. Conway said he could not say how much money, or additional funding, the Marines would be seeking.
There are currently about 180,000 active duty Marines.
Conway said that recommendations coming out of the various reviews on Iraq policy will have an impact on whether more forces are needed. But if the decision is made to increase the size of the Marine presence in Iraq — currently about 141,000 with roughly 20,000 Marines — he has enough Marines around the globe to respond.
Ellie