Skelton: Readiness “Is Our Insurance Policy”
Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO), the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, says he is worried about a "hollow army," and is especially concerned about military readiness, given the war in Iraq, saying the U.S. military is "strained like never before."
In an interview with the Sedalia Democrat in Missouri, Skelton says that "We’re trying very hard to increase readiness in the military. I’m very concerned about readiness in the military." And the armed forces, he says, are "stretched much too thin."
In a Veterans Day speech in Jefferson City on Monday, Skelton said that, "Today’s Army soldiers — both officers and enlisted — are absolutely first rate professionals. However, this is an Army that is stressed and strained and experiencing readiness shortfalls among the non-deployed forces. . . . I worry that today’s lack of readiness is similar to what the U.S. Army experienced in 1980." That year, Skelton said, military leaders "described a 'hollow Army,' with tactical forces under strength and companies and platoons that had been zeroed out."
"Why should any of us worry about a military readiness crisis?," Skelton asked. "The lack of readiness of our Army forces that are not currently deployed is of great concern because we depend on those forces to be able to answer the nation’s call in the event of some unforeseen future conflict. Make no mistake, the American military remains a formidable force, even when stretched. But the way things are now, it would be difficult for those forces to respond in a timely manner. Readiness is our insurance policy for national security."
One option to boost military readiness, of course, is to pass The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, and repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." According to one estimate, at least 41,000 lesbian and gay Americans would be willing to enlist, without a ban in place. And with repeal, we'd stop the counter-productive practice of discharging two people - every day - because of the law.
It's always in the best interest of military readiness to retain good people, and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" makes that incredibly difficult to do.
And while Skelton has not spoken, to date, on the issue of repeal, he is known as a fair-minded lawmaker who keeps, as his first priority, the best interest of our service members at heart. As more and more members of his committee - and more and more Congressional veterans - enlist in the fight to repeal this law, we hope Congressman Skelton will take a look at "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" again, too.
"I know in my heart that as Americans, we have the strength to face today’s challenges, fulfill our duty, and do what is necessary to preserve this great country of ours," Skelton said on Monday.
One giant leap in facing those challenges and preserving our military's readiness would be to topple "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" once and for all.
And if you are a constituent of Congressman Skelton's, log on now and send him a message encouraging him to support repeal.
- Steve RallsLabels: Congress, in the news, MREA, Skelton, veterans
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