Rumsfeld v. Congress: Soldier Counts

Rumsfeld's whole agenda has been "small and swift" when it comes to armed forces. One severe problem with it, of course, was that it left a huge damn power-vacuum that was left unfilled by dominating forces when, oh, I don't know, say, we invaded a country. Now, because Rummy desired small and sleek, there are countless dilemnas to deal with: specified training which leads to problems of policing, etc; very low armor and weapons supplies; the need to bring in retired and near-retired soldiers so that fathers now fight with sons [and daughters] in the same war; and numerous other serious issues. Now, in a repeat performance, Congress is issuing the call for a larger armed force:

Last year, when Congress ignored his counsel and mandated a permanent 20,000-soldier increase for the Army, the tug of war played out as a battle of wills, pitting the Pentagon's vision of the future against Congress's concerns about the present. Now, the House is poised to take up the cause again, considering a measure that would tack on another 10,000 troops.

As the war in Iraq enters a crucial period - one that could help decide when troops can start coming home - it is an issue that cuts to the core of the military's prospects for success. On Wednesday, legislators must weigh whether more soldiers will help the military despite itself or simply add new budget, training, and recruiting burdens to an organization already pushed to its limits.

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For his part, though, Rumsfeld has contended that it is a question of simple math: The United States still has 2.6 million active, Guard, and Reserve soldiers at its disposal, which should be adequate to maintain 150,000 troops in Iraq.

"That suggests that the real problem is not the size of the force per se, but rather the way the force has been organized over the years and the mix of capabilities at our disposal," Rumsfeld told Congress during this same point in the process last year. "And it suggests that our challenge is considerably more complex than simply adding more troops."

Despite the huge logistic issues, and the gigantic weight this will put back on the shoulders of teh severely strained and flawed recruitment faction of the military, this must be understood as a clear rejection of Rumsfeld's manner of attack but the Congress.