| The Armed Forces Press Service recently quoted | | | | support for the war effort had been "tepid." In fact, |
| Army Chief of Staff General Peter J. Schoomaker as | | | | he said, only 4% of the nation's gross national |
| saying that the current level of soldiers in Iraq could | | | | product had been committed to defense, compared |
| remain constant through 2010. Naturally, this sounded | | | | with 38% of GNP during the Second World War. |
| alarms in the mainstream media, which had been | | | | "Ultimately, victory requires a national consensus...in |
| reporting for some time that the Army planned to | | | | words and actions," he said. "Another 9/11 should not |
| reduce troop levels significantly during late 2006 and | | | | have to occur to shake us into action."While politicians |
| into 2007.There are two important things to note | | | | and the public alike complain about the money being |
| here. The first is pretty straightforward: troop levels | | | | spent in the two war zones, a figure quoted at over |
| are constantly adjusted to meet the conditions on | | | | $1 billion per week, military members across the |
| the ground. When the level of violence dipped in Iraq, | | | | country are cutting back on nonessential |
| the commanders on the ground reduced the number | | | | expenditures so that every available dollar can be |
| of troops in the country to just over 100,000 and | | | | used in support of the men and women on the |
| talked about further possible reductions. As the level | | | | ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.On military posts |
| of violence steadily increased this year, though, troop | | | | throughout America, quality of life projects and family |
| levels again went up, with some deployments | | | | support programs are cutting back to free |
| accelerated and some re-deployments delayed. The | | | | desperately needed funds for the war effort. The |
| same held true in Afghanistan, where NATO | | | | very people who volunteer to sacrifice so much for |
| countries were called upon to increase troop levels in | | | | the rest of us are bearing the entire burden of the |
| response to increased Taliban activity in the southern | | | | War on Terror while average citizens complain about |
| part of the country.The point is that there is no | | | | gas prices or discuss Madonna's adoption of a child |
| magic formula for the number of soldiers on the | | | | from Malawi. As General Schoomaker said, providing |
| ground. Troop levels rise or fall in direct proportion to | | | | the military with the funds it needs "...is a matter of |
| the levels of violence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Calls | | | | national priority, not a matter of affordability."Most |
| for massive troop reductions ignore the realities in | | | | Americans don't equate the War on Terror with |
| both countries. The fight is far from over and | | | | World War II. The fight against the Axis in the 1940s |
| Afghanistan and Iraq could easily be lost if our | | | | was viewed as a fight for survival requiring the |
| resolve wavers.The second thing to note is a bit | | | | support of the entire country. Americans need to |
| more conceptual and thus more difficult for people to | | | | understand that we are again locked in a |
| understand: we are an Army (and Navy, and Air | | | | life-and-death struggle with a radical ideology bent on |
| Force, and Marine Corps) at war, but we are not a | | | | our subjugation and eventual destruction.Americans |
| nation at war. What I mean by this is that everyday | | | | accept Afghanistan because they can link the Taliban |
| Americans go about their lives largely unaffected by | | | | and Osama bin Laden to the attacks of 9/11. Iraq |
| the carnage in Iraq and Afghanistan. The vast | | | | may or may not have been a front in the Global War |
| majority of the population doesn't serve in the | | | | on Terror in March 2003. Intelligent people can debate |
| military and only a small number of people even know | | | | that topic equally well from both points of view. But |
| someone in the service, much less in the two primary | | | | there is no question that Iraq has now joined |
| theaters of the war on terror.Everything they know | | | | Afghanistan as a central battleground in the fight |
| about Baghdad, Fallujah, Ramadi, Kandahar, Bagram, | | | | against radical Islam. Jihadists from across the globe |
| and any number of other key battlegrounds is | | | | have flocked to Iraq to wage war on the United |
| obtained from their nightly news broadcasts and local | | | | States and the west.Secretary of Defense Donald |
| papers.The soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines | | | | Rumsfeld said in an October 16 speech that "There's |
| currently forward deployed understand what they | | | | no way the United States can lose militarily against |
| are involved in. They risk their lives everyday while | | | | the terrorists, but the center of gravity of the war in |
| we argue over "stay the course" and "cut and run." | | | | Iraq is not in Iraq, it's in Washington, D.C."If we pull |
| Unlike World War II, when the entire nation was | | | | out of Iraq now, our enemies will be emboldened. If |
| engaged in the war effort against Germany and | | | | we leave before the job is done, we will breathe |
| Japan, the Global War on Terror is witness to a | | | | new life into the cause of Muslim fundamentalists, |
| select few volunteers putting everything on the line | | | | much as the Soviet Union did when it pulled out of |
| while the rest of us go about our daily routines in | | | | Afghanistan in 1989. The calls for troop withdrawals |
| ignorant bliss.This attitude concerns General | | | | must be resisted, and we must stay until the fight is |
| Schoomaker. In a recent speech to soldiers and | | | | over. |
| defense industry representatives he warned that | | | | |