rssVoteVets Blasts Obama on Dwell Time
Thursday, December 03, 2009 at 12:34 pm
- 5 Comments
The progressive Iraq/Afghanistan veterans group VoteVets has been, to the best of my knowledge, supportive of a properly resourced and focused Afghanistan strategy for quite some time. But it surprised a lot of people when it announced that it couldn’t support the Obama administration’s “extended surge” on Tuesday. That’s because the group sees the policy as effectively foreclosing on another stated administration priority: increasing the time between deployments of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, known as “dwell time.”
I’ve been curious about the actual fate of the Pentagon plan announced earlier this year to increase active-duty soldiers’ dwell time to two years per yearlong deployment by 2011 ever since I crunched the available troop numbers last month. I don’t quite see how an “extended surge” can last “18 to 24 months” and possibly longer while increasing dwell time. But I haven’t been able to get a clear answer from the Pentagon on whether the plan is actually shelved. In testimony yesterday, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, indicated that it is.
In a new post, VoteVets’ Richard Smith (who — full disclosure — is a friend of mine) describes being told straight-up by a senior administration official that the dwell time increase would proceed:
[D]irectly after the President’s speech, I personally spoke with a senior White House official who informed me that all of the service chiefs had reviewed this strategy and that no adverse effects on dwell time were anticipated.
Jon Soltz, the organization’s chairman, questions whether the extended surge will actually roll back troops’ existing dwell time:
This is just one of the troubling consequences of the Obama strategy for Afghanistan. Can we really guarantee Dwell Time for troops at least equal to the length of their deployments? What about ending Stop Loss, or not using the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), or mobilizations that are no longer than 12 months for the National Guard and Reserve? All of those could be in jeopardy. These concerns are why VoteVets.org can’t endorse this strategy. The math doesn’t add up, and Admiral Mullen’s testimony raises more concerns and questions than answers.
Follow Spencer Ackerman on Twitter
5 Comments
Pingback posted December 3, 2009 @ 1:45 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by George Larson II and teddysanfran, WashIndependent. WashIndependent said: VoteVets Blasts Obama on Dwell Time http://bit.ly/5W8ybX [...]
Trackback posted December 3, 2009 @ 2:33 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by TWI_news: VoteVets Blasts Obama on Dwell Time http://bit.ly/5W8ybX...
Pingback posted December 7, 2009 @ 2:30 pm
[...] more on VoteVets’ position on “dwell time,” click here. As noted here, Maddow previously took up this issue on the November 18 broadcast of her eponymous [...]
Pingback posted December 7, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
[...] more on VoteVets’ position on “dwell time,” click here. As noted here, Maddow previously took up this issue on the November 18 broadcast of her eponymous [...]
Comment posted May 28, 2011 @ 12:23 am
Our best rated on the net Coach Satchel Bags Outlet carries a broad assortment of reduce price Coach Satchel Bags handbags are ready for you. Reduce price Coach Satchel Bags Carryall Bags Smooth leather-based method Chocolate at Coach Satchel Bags Handbags offers ladies their handbag style dreams onitsuka tiger ultimate 81 arrive genuine at affordable prices.
Need a hard-to-find Coach Satchel Bags Carryall Bags Snake Pattern Calfskin dark Fuchsia but want it genuinely discounted? try looking within our on the net store and get satisfaction from the asics shoes sale broad assortment of reduce price Coach Satchel Bags handbags !?! Our Coach Satchel onitsuka tiger by asics Bags Outlet provides a complete assortment of genuine Coach Satchel Bags Carryalls Bags Smooth leather-based Signature Grey, available within a assortment of comfort types such as outdoor, sport, casual, city. We do locate one of the most effective things for you, usually at one of the most effective expenditures concerning the market.
Offering an amazing affordable advertising price is definitely Asics Alton an additional quality on our on the net shop. In situation you purchased a Coach Satchel Bags Carryall Bags Studded Figure Fringe Zip Calfskin Black from a actual physical store, the advertising price you compensated would consist of the expenditures just like rental, salaries as well as other overheads on this store. These expenditures will enhance the advertising price to some relatively large level, and you also have no asics shoes possibilities to prevent this type of costs.
But within our Coach Satchel Bags Outlet , we are able to remove these expenditures and provide a whole lot more important Coach Satchel Bags things to you.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
