U.S. Marines say can keep Iraq levels indefinitely

[sabra]

http://www.newsone.ca/piercelandherald/stories/news-00171974.html

U.S. Marines say can keep Iraq levels indefinitely

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Marine Corps can sustain indefinitely its current troop level in Iraq , the No. 2 Marine general said on Thursday, despite concerns about the 3-year-old war breaking the all-volunteer military.

Gen. Robert Magnus, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, also said the Marines do not plan to prohibit troops from having commercial body armor while deployed, as the Army did last week. Some troops and their families have bought body armor because of concern that what the military was providing was insufficient.

...

"To our own surprise, we are able to sustain this tempo, we think, probably indefinitely," Magnus told reporters. "We can sustain 20-25,000 in Iraq indefinitely," he added.

"Now I‘m not advocating for 25,000 Marines in Iraq indefinitely. Don‘t go there on me," Magnus added. "But we thought, we were very concerned, and we are still concerned about making sure that we don‘t break the Marines and their families and we don‘t break the readiness of the Corps."

[underpants]

1. Marines will do whatever they are told+they don't have recruiting problems

They are meeting their recruiting quotas. I don't think they have missed a single one nor have they had to adjust them.

[gratuitous]

2. "Sure we can do this indefinitely, as long as you don't ask us to"

Yeah, that's convincing.

Although there are "only" 25,000 Marines in Iraq. Sucks to be one of the other 125,000 military personnel there.

[BOSSHOG]

3. Totally irrelevant General

I love my Marines, proudly served with them INCONUS and Saudi Arabia and no doubt in this Swabbies mind that you all can do whatever you say you can do General, but that is your job. We aren't in Iraq because you can maintain itempo and optempo, we are in Iraq because our civilian leadership is lying criminals whose political agenda overrides any legitimacy to this war.

[longship]

4. Yes, just move "Boot Camp" to Iraq.

It will save tons in the tax-payer's money. Close down Paris Island.

On-the-job training.

[grytpype]

5. "Private Pyle, are you allowed to have a falafel??"

[saigon68]

6. Falafel

Falafel (Arabic فلافل (falaafil (help·info)), Hebrew פלאפל (falafel), also known in Egypt as طعمية ta`amiyya), is a fried ball or patty of spiced fava beans or chickpeas. It is a highly popular form of fast food in the Arab East. Falafel is also very common in Israel, being regarded there as a national food. The word "falafel" comes from the Arabic word فلفل (filfil), meaning pepper. <1>

[cliss]

7. This is not true.

Even if General Magnus seems to feel we can "hold out indefinitely" there is a small matter of MONEY. Treasury money. Emergency war funding requests. $300 billion spent already.

The Marines can't stay there indefinitely without funding. All the money spent on this war was borrowed from the future.

Our creditors are starting to balk, right now. We won't be there indefinitely. At the rate we're going, we can only prolong this about 1 more year, if even that. Right Wolfie? Maybe you can lend Uncle Sam some dough now that you're at the World Bank.

[Inland]

8. That's a good point.

And if we were allowed to really question him, I'm sure there would be a million little preconditions on money, equipment replacement, recruitment and retention bonuses, and the types of missions allowed. There's no way to maintain even the corps on the cheapass way we deal with the war now.


I wonder what ever happened to our "two and one half war"military? Maybe we can keep the corp there until 2010 as long as we don't have any other combat situations anywhere until 2050.

[Nevernose]

17. We can just lower taxes again!

...and make more money that way.
:sarcasm:

[Inland]

9. "Indefinitely" means one month as well as ten years, you know.

Indefinitely means the corps could collapse any time. Maybe a month, maybe ten years. It's indefinite.

All he is telling us is that he has no fucking clue, not knowing what the strategy is or will be or whether Congress is going to actually pay the corp's needs.

[stanwyck]

10. Uh, how many times are they going to send my

son over there? A Marine, he's had two tours and has one more scheduled for late this year.
And I thought the third would be his last.
Guess I'm dreaming.

[jukes]

11. LIAR!

REMF-lifer liar.

[madmark]

12. They are marines, what do you expect them to say. They will take

any piece of ground the CIC tells them to and hold it till they are all dead. That's what marines do. It has nothing to do with the wisdom of taking and holding the ground. Making that judgment is the job of the civilian leadership, who are, currently, a bunch of idiots.

[saigon68]

15. I HOPE THEY LIKE A DOZEN DEAD HERE AND THERE**** Bad Photos

MEANTIME massive War Crimes are being committed by the

1. The Leaders who ordered the crimes.

2. And the Sheep who signed up, who are "just following orders"

[baby_mouse]

13. ...

So what?

[BillZBubb]

14. Well, I hope he's prepared to do so, because they ain't going

anywhere soon. The Chimperor must have his blood sacrifice.

[HuffleClaw]

16. what ELSE is the guy gonna say?

seriously.

[SOS]

18. Until January 2009

He's got no choice in the matter. Bush makes the decisions. The general's assesment is irrelevant.