Democrat Joe Lieberman says we have “the best-trained, best-equipped,
most-powerful fighting force in the history of the world.” Republican
Dick Cheney says this isn’t true.
Which party’s vice presidential candidate is right?
Is Cheney yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater when there’s not even
a whiff of smoke? Is Lieberman saying the theater’s sprinkler system is
in perfect shape when it’s a rusted-out disaster waiting to happen?
Meanwhile, are you and your loved ones enjoying the show, sure that
all’s safe and that our kids “over there” are ready with the right stuff
for the Main Event?
In every election in my memory, we’ve had some kind of military gap.
In 1952, it was the “bomber” gap. In 1960, the “missile” gap. In 1980,
the “our-forces-have-collapsed” gap. Now, two decades later, we have the
“are-we-ready-or-not” gap.
Has Lieberman, a man touted for his character and integrity, been
conned by the Pentagon or his speechwriters? I hope for the security of
our country and his reputation that this isn’t the case.
But from my periscope, I see that more than 20 percent of our fleet
can’t get under way unless they cannibalize parts and people from
combat-ready ships that will then become wharf queens. I see Air Force
squadrons without the parts or the right training to be fit to fight. I
see Army maneuver units that can’t win against a play enemy at training
centers and who’d lose against a class enemy on a killing field.
Then, too, thousands of noncoms and officers from all the services
give me new intell daily. These are the idealistic leaders who haven’t
been co-opted by a sick system. They’re the heroes of our nation, the
fine folks who man our ships and planes and serve on point duty in
dangerous places all over the globe.
These members of the Thin Red Line know the truth because, when you
are the first to die, you are the truth.
And today the truth is that a Desert Storm brigade led by a Jim
Hollingsworth-like leader could whip any division in the U.S. Army on a
slow weekend and then clobber the rest of the divisions — one at a time
— from Monday to Friday.
In 1998, Defense Secretary William Cohen apologized to the Senate
about America’s lousy state of military preparedness. Since then the
Pentagon propaganda poets have been chanting that people numbers are up
and readiness is improving. But setting aside the standard snake oil, if
it is improved, it’s only marginally and mainly on paper.
For example, the Army is filling up its hollow divisions — two
divisions that were declared not-good-to-go last year by their brave and
honorable generals, probably at the cost of their careers — with fodder
that normally brings up the rear!
On the readiness charts, these units look lean and mean. But
dragooned former clerks and drivers don’t become shoot-and-scoot
riflemen or first-round-hit tankers in a few months.
Only in riots do sheer numbers sometimes win fights. Trained,
motivated and well-equipped warriors with great leaders — the kind of
good people who are leaving our armed forces in historic numbers — win
battles. Not readiness reports with fudged scores.
I’d rather lead 10 trained, gung-ho, well-equipped warriors than a
herd of don’t-want-to-be-here pretenders plunked into units just to make
everything look OK. At Thermopylae, 300 Spartans chopped down 10,000
supposedly fit-to-fight Persians.
If Cheney can prove what he said, he owes it to America to challenge
his political rival. Getting this debate out there where we citizens can
judge the facts for ourselves should help us all — including Lieberman
— get at the truth.
Congress and the media have both skirted this issue. It’s time they
also examined our readiness with at least the same energy and focus they
brought to the Lewinsky/Clinton maneuvers.
And before you paint me automatically into the Bush-Cheney corner,
let me tell you I’m neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I’m an American
first and foremost, an independent who’s borne witness at a dozen
killing-fields where the body bags were filled. What I’ve learned — up
close and personal — from these horror shows is that on the battlefield
second place means too many Purple Hearts and tombstones.
Our forces must be the best. And not just on paper.
