The Pentagon

[WiseGuy]

This is where I will be posting policy recommendations to the President, and where I will hold press conferences at set times.  The First Press Conference begins at 1200 hours.

[WiseGuy]

I have sent the following policy suggestion to the President:

Resolution from the Secretary of Defense.

1. Effective immediately, withdraw all troops from Europe.
2. Place a twenty year cap on troop deployments to a region, unless that area is of strategic importance to the US Military.

[WiseGuy]

no. Especially part 2.

Why do you believe our troops should be in a country more the twenty years after the strategic advantage of having them there has expired.  The Atlasian Military are sworn to protect Atlasians, not Germans, not Italians, Not French.

[WiseGuy]

I have a compromise in the works.  Stay tuned

[WiseGuy]

Here is my revised Resolution recomending reduction of military presence in Europe:

Resolution from the Secretary of Defense

(A) All military presence shall be withdrawn from the following Nations:

   1. Germany
   2. Italy
   3. Spain
   4. Iceland
   5. Belgium
   6. Portugal
   7. The Netherlands
   8. Greece
   9. Greenland

(B) The troops withdrawn from the Nations listed under section (A) will undergo Special Forces Anti-Terrorism Combat Training, and be reorganized into Special Forces Anti-Terrorism Units.

(C) Once the units have been reorganized, they shall be deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq.

[WiseGuy]

I am of the opinion that our soldiers need to be fighting the Terrorists we are currently at war with, not policing the remains of countries we beat, and I'm sure our allies will understand.  However, I am willing to negotiate, and I would have posted that sooner if everyone had not been throwing a premature hissy-fit.  If anyone names a country they think should be removed from the bill, I might consider it.  However, declaring WTF will not achieve anything.

[WiseGuy]

Look, folks.  Last time I checked we aren't facing the same kind of threats that we did in the Cold War era.  To meet the threats of the 21st century, we're gonna need more Anti-Terrorist units, more Airborne units, more light infantry, more behind the enemy lines units, and less heavy infantry, less units that take months to deploy in a huge invasion.  I am not, however, suggesting the we should lower the standards for Special Forces training.  It will remain as rigorous as ever and the units will still be small self-sufficient teams.

[WiseGuy]

Look, folks.  Last time I checked we aren't facing the same kind of threats that we did in the Cold War era.  To meet the threats of the 21st century, we're gonna need more Anti-Terrorist units, more Airborne units, more light infantry, more behind the enemy lines units, and less heavy infantry, less units that take months to deploy in a huge invasion.  I am not, however, suggesting the we should lower the standards for Special Forces training.  It will remain as rigorous as ever and the units will still be small self-sufficient teams.

Two of the last three wars we've fought involved heavy armored units blitzing through open desert and engaging enemy armored divisions.

Yes, but tanks are less of a threat today then guerillia warfare.  That is why we must train more of our troops to fight in guerillia warfare type situations.  Anyway, I was saying retrain heavy infantry, nor Armored Units.

[WiseGuy]

Look, folks.  Last time I checked we aren't facing the same kind of threats that we did in the Cold War era.  To meet the threats of the 21st century, we're gonna need more Anti-Terrorist units, more Airborne units, more light infantry, more behind the enemy lines units, and less heavy infantry, less units that take months to deploy in a huge invasion.  I am not, however, suggesting the we should lower the standards for Special Forces training.  It will remain as rigorous as ever and the units will still be small self-sufficient teams.

Two of the last three wars we've fought involved heavy armored units blitzing through open desert and engaging enemy armored divisions.

Yes, but tanks are less of a threat today then guerillia warfare.  That is why we must train more of our troops to fight in guerillia warfare type situations.  Anyway, I was saying retrain heavy infantry, nor Armored Units.

Just because we're facing geurillas instead of tanks in Iraq, doesn't mean that tanks aren't a threat.  It is a classic error by military planners to assume that the conflict in which they are embroiled today will be the kind of conflict that we face in the next war and every war after that.  The smart thing is not to re-structure the entire force to re-fight the Iraq war over and over again because no war will be exactly like the Iraq war ever again.  The smart thing is to retain the ability to fight many different kinds of wars at whatever time we're asked to.  If we get rid of everything except light infantry, we'll become one dimensional and ultimately unable to defend the country against any threat other than the one we face at this exact second.  I also think you underestimate the importance of heavy units in defeating geurilla forces.  Tanks and artillery play a key role in this kind of conflict.

I wasn't saying that we should completely transfer all units into light infantry, just to add a few units to use in Iraq.  Sorry if I confused anyone.  That is particially why I picked the troops coming home from europe to transform.  The bulk of the other units are deployed to a current threat, or have already been over to Iraq. Thanks for all the advice, though.  I really respect your wisdom, and was hoping that you would give me a few pointers, since you were SoD before.

[WiseGuy]

I keep forgetting to to change this to say that only combat troops will be withdrawn.  Honestly, I had forgotten about what Jake said about Ramstein when I first posted the second draft. 

Resolution from the Secretary of Defense

(A) All combat units shall be withdrawn from the following Nations:

   1. Germany
   2. Italy
   3. Spain
   4. Iceland
   5. Belgium
   6. Portugal
   7. The Netherlands
   8. Greece
   9. Greenland

(B) The troops withdrawn from the Nations listed under section (A) will undergo Special Forces Anti-Terrorism Combat Training, and be reorganized into Special Forces Anti-Terrorism Units.

(C) Once the units have been reorganized, they shall be deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq.