Kerrys Military Plan (Most of you should like it)

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FACT SHEET:​

A NEW MILITARY TO MEET NEW THREATS
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In a speech in Independence , Missouri today, John Kerry announced his plan to transform the world's most powerful military to better address the modern threats of terrorism and proliferation, while ensuring that we have enough properly trained and equipped troops to meet our enduring strategic and regional missions. To accomplish this, he will: (1) expand our active duty forces, (2) double America 's Special Forces capability and increase other specialized personnel, (3) complete the process of technological transformation, and (4) redirect the National Guard for homeland security.
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I. Expand America 's Active Duty Forces. ​

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John Kerry's plan will ensure that our military has sufficient troop strength to protect our national security without placing an undue burden on the men and women of our armed forces by:
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Adding 40,000 troops to the active duty Army to prevent and prepare for other possible conflicts (not to increase the overall number of soldiers in Iraq ). Eight of the Army's ten active duty combat divisions are either currently in Iraq , preparing to go, or have recently returned. While only a third of the Army would typically be deployed at any one time, under current deployment schedules 31 of our 33 active duty combat brigades will have been deployed by the summer of 2004. The Bush administration is relying on temporary solutions including “ Stop Loss ” orders, recalling the Individual Ready Reserve and extending tours to meet our commitments. These temporary measures have increased the burden on our troops and their families without addressing the underlying reality: we need more troops.
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By streamlining various large weapons programs, emphasizing electronics, advanced sensors and munitions in a "systems of systems" approach to transformation, reducing total expenditures on missile defense, and further reforming the acquisition process, this proposal can be made budget neutral.
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II. Double America 's Special Forces Capability and Increase Other Specialized Personnel. ​

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John Kerry recognizes the critical role that the Special Forces and other specialized personnel play in America's military. Today we rely on these forces more and more to meet the new threats we face. John Kerry's plan will strengthen our force structure by:
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Doubling the Army's Special Forces capability by the end of his first term. As part of the 40,000 new troops, John Kerry will double overall Special Forces capabilities in his first four years as President. His plan calls for adding 3,500 active duty and 1,400 reserve Special Forces personnel. This will effectively double the number of Special Forces available to perform overseas operations, including missions with foreign forces such as the anti-Taliban fighters in Afghanistan . The Special Forces units will also by be manned at 115 percent, enabling extended absences for individual long-term language and cultural training. This over-strength will also allow for surge-capacity in times of crisis.
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Adding a special operations helicopter squadron to the Air Force. John Kerry will add a second special operations helicopter squadron to the Air Force, enabling Army forces to better complete their missions.​

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l Increasing active-duty and reserve civil affairs personnel. John Kerry will increase by 1,200 the number of civil affairs personnel – 200 active-duty and 1,000 reserves. Today's missions are increasingly dependent on civil affairs personnel, including judges, physicians, bankers, health inspectors, fire chiefs, and so forth – the very skills that are needed in post-conflict situations. Active-duty civil affairs personnel provide “quick fix” support until the appropriate specialist teams from the reserves can be activated and deployed. Kerry's plan represents a 50 percent increase in active-duty civil affairs personnel, and a 20 percent increase in reserve personnel.​

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l Increasing active-duty psychological operations personnel. Today 70 percent of our psychological operations (PSYOP) personnel are Reservists. John Kerry will add 500 activeduty personnel to the 4 th PSYOP Group, the only PSYOP Group in the Army. This will round out regionally focused battalions, reduce the burden on Reservists, and provide increased opportunities for language training.​

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Educating and training for the 21st Century. John Kerry will make sure our troops are prepared for the tasks required of them by ensuring that all aspects of overall training including basic training, weapons training, combat simulations and professional military education are fully supported.
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III. Complete the Process of Technological Transformation. ​

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John Kerry is committed to building an American military that leverages technology across the spectrum of conflict, for every mission performed by the active duty, National Guard or Reserve.​

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l Investing in the Right Technologies. John Kerry will focus defense investment in those capabilities vital to waging war successfully in the 21 st Century. These include: advanced communications and information technologies, which will be vital to the full range of military capabilities; sensing and control technologies that will provide the foundation for effective operation of unmanned, even robotic systems; precision weapons, including directed energy weapons that can produce lethal and non-lethal effects; and data fusion technologies that will enable our military to act more decisively with enhanced situational awareness and greatly improved intelligence assessments.​

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Focusing on New and Existing Challenges. Kerry's plan will create more digital divisions, harness the power of “network centric” warfare, and improve tactical communications crucial to future military success whether our next enemy is a terrorist, an outlaw regime or a would-be peer competitor. He will also invest in new, non-lethal technologies – like directed energy weapons that can incapacitate the enemy without risking the lives of innocent bystanders – for use in urban combat and stability operations so that America's forces are equipped to win the peace as well as the war.
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Improving Counter-Proliferation Capabilities. John Kerry will strengthen counter-proliferation capabilities to deter, defend and protect the United States and its allies against weapons of mass destruction. He will create new counter-proliferation units that specialize in finding and destroying the most dangerous weapons before they can be used against us. These special units will be trained, equipped and prepared to intercept and disable nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and secure any related facilities. With these capabilities future presidents will have practical, usable military capabilities against weapons of mass destruction rather than depending on new nuclear weapons.
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IV. Transform the National Guard for Homeland Security. ​

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John Kerry will integrate the National Guard into our homeland security strategy.
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Making homeland security a primary mission of the National Guard. Currently more than 165,000 Guard and Reserve troops are on active duty. About forty percent of our forces in Iraq are from the Guard and Reserve. Some have been on the ground in Iraq for as many as 15 months – much longer than was expected or promised. Large deployments of Guard members to Iraq , have actually weakened local defenses because so many members of the Guard are first responders in their communities – fire fighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians.
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Under John Kerry's plan, the National Guard will be given the clear mission of using these critical skills for homeland security. National Guard units will be assigned to a standing joint task force, commanded by a National Guard General. This task force will create and, if necessary, execute a coordinated strategy to protect our homeland, working with the states and the federal government to respond in times of crisis. Apportioned Guard forces would retain a valid combat capability, but would be rolled into missions that are needed to support homeland security, including intelligence, first responder security, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear missions.
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V. Relieve the Burden on Our Military Families. ​

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John Kerry believes the need to keep faith with our troops extends to their families. His Military Family Bill of Rights will provide military families with competitive pay, good housing, decent health care, quality education for their children, first rate training and the best possible weaponry, armor and state-of-the-art equipment. The Military Family Bill of Rights will also provide assistance to families affected by extended deployments, or injury or death in the line of duty. And military families will receive the best possible information on deployments and responsive government support after their military service is completed.
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Although this sounds like a good plan, I believe mine is a little better. When I am elected in November, I will add 100,000 troops to the active duty Army to prevent and prepare for other possible conflicts (not to increase the overall number of soldiers in Iraq). I would only deploy 10% of our military abroad at one time. Never mind the fact that we are at war, that is no excuse to deploy large numbers of our troops. I will be streamlining various large weapons programs, emphasizing electronics, advanced sensors and munitions in a "systems of systems" by combining all of our current large weapons programs into one program, the development of a “Death Star”, which I will personally oversee.

II. Increase America 's Special Forces Capability and Increase Other Specialized Personnel. I recognize the critical role that the Special Forces and other specialized personnel play in America's military. I will increase the size of our Special Forces by allowing anyone who serves in the military who considers themselves to be special to be part of our “Special Forces”. It does not matter if they are unable to pass the rigorous training currently required to be part of these elite groups. How dare we inhibit a person’s dream of becoming special by requiring them to actually be special and above average!

Rather than babbling on, my point is that anyone can put crap down on paper and make it look good. I’d love to hear exactly how he intends to do this as far as increasing the number of recruits as well as paying for all this while not having a negative effect on the budget. People who support Kerry will buy into this no doubt, his detractors like me will ask to see how all of this will be done. Until I see that, this is nothing more than empty promises on pieces of paper.

Investing in the Right Technologies. John Kerry will focus defense investment in those capabilities vital to waging war successfully in the 21 st Century. These include: advanced communications and information technologies, which will be vital to the full range of military capabilities; sensing and control technologies that will provide the foundation for effective operation of unmanned, even robotic systems; precision weapons, including directed energy weapons that can produce lethal and non-lethal effects; and data fusion technologies that will enable our military to act more decisively with enhanced situational awareness and greatly improved intelligence assessments.
l Focusing on New and Existing Challenges. Kerry's plan will create more digital divisions, harness the power of “network centric” warfare, and improve tactical communications crucial to future military success whether our next enemy is a terrorist, an outlaw regime or a would-be peer competitor. He will also invest in new, non-lethal technologies – like directed energy weapons that can incapacitate the enemy without risking the lives of innocent bystanders – for use in urban combat and stability operations so that America's forces are equipped to win the peace as well as the war.

Does anyone in their right mind believe that such programs are not currently being worked on? The reason we don’t hear about it everyday is because most of it is classified. Turn on the Discovery Channel once in a while if you have any doubts.

Abstract ideas (even though masked and fluffed by a few specific numbers) in a campaign speech are fine, that’s what politicians do. The real test comes when you are able to show concrete evidence of how these programs will be implemented, which he has yet to do. I'm sure that speech is just around the corner. Until then, big deal.

 

He's trying to run to the right of Bush on defense. The problem is that actions speak louder than words. A 20 year record of being anti-military and anti- intelligence trumps promises he makes. And and yes I know John Kerry served in Vietnam on a swift boat and won 3 purple hearts. Republicans have always been extrememly strong on military, and thus carried the military vote. It's not gonna change this year.

He should watch himself though, I'm sure the Dean and Kucinich people don't appreciate the "War Hawk" tone he is taking.

 

Kind of ironic this strategy is causing him to be compared to Eisenhower and Nixon.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5591226/

 

I wouldn't expect any of them to vote for Bush, I was thinking of Nader. I don't expect that to happen either. Their hatred for Bush far exceeds their dislike for Kerry.

The military and the War on Terror are Bush's best areas, and I think Kerry is making a huge mistake in trying to beat him on it. Like I said he has nothing to back up his words.

 

With all the talk about Kerry and others meeting privately with foreign leaders in an attempt to win support for the US provided Bush is gone, I was wondering, didn't it used to be considered treasonous to attempt to undermine the Commander in Chief's authority during a time of war? Isn't this effectively what they are doing. France and Germany aren't going to support us anyway, but what other nations are they referring to? Seems to me they are claiming that they are making promises and negotiating deals for support in an attempt to overthrow an existing president. I'll admit it isn't an overthrow by force, but an attempt to sway voters in their favor. Are they telling nations who would normally back the US not to lend the US support to undermine our war effort so Bush will not be re-elected? Bush isn't that popular in some of these countries, but they would normally be supportive none-the-less. Of course this isn't going to be discussed in the media, but the question should be asked.

What do you think, Smax? I'd appreciate it if you would copy and paste a reply, using someone else's thoughts and words, of course.

 

Well, Kerry has shown he can talk the talk. But...???