Math Lessons for the Pentagon
The Associated Press reports this morning that "Faced with a military buildup in Iraq that could drag into next year, Pentagon officials are trying to identify enough units to keep up to 20 brigade combat teams in Iraq." A brigade is typically 3,500 troops each. Translation: Where, the Pentagon wonders, can it find 70,000 new troops to meet the demand presented by the war?
Time for a Pentagon math lesson:
The military has dismissed just over 11,000 people under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Another 42,000 gay Americans would be willing to enlist if the ban were repealed. And, add to that the troops retained by stopping the 'two-per-day' gay discharges, and you're quickly getting to the magic 70,000 number.
When asked if he could use more troops, Major General Benjamin Mixon, commander of coalition forces in Northern Iraq, told reporters, "no doubt about it."
There's also no doubt that one of the most effective ways to boost military readiness, and get more recruits who are qualified and willing to serve, is by lifting the ban.
Stephen Colbert observed earlier this week that the number of gays dismissed under the law is "half a surge." But it's no laughing matter, when the AP reports that troops already on the ground may not get their promised break, and others are preparing for their second and third tour in the warzone, and the Pentagon, all the while, turns away those who want to help.
It requires no fuzzy math to figure out that repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" could go a long way in helping our military, and our men and women already in uniform.
- Steve RallsLabels: recruiting
-----03-10-07
Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.