FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2004
Contact: Josh Freed
(202) 225-4431
 
 DENVER, CO – Democratic Floor Whip Diana DeGette (D-CO) released the following remarks requesting House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter investigate allegations that military officers were using coercive tactics to get Iraq war veterans to reenlist in the army:

Ladies and gentlemen, America has a very proud history of supporting our men and women in uniform.  In exchange for their service, we promise our G.I.s that they will have the best training and best equipment while on duty and that when they have completed their service, a grateful nation will honor and thank them for their sacrifices to protect our freedom.  Today, many of our veterans from the Iraq war have returned home.  Now, they want nothing more than to return to civilian life.   We owe them nothing less.

Even this desire appears to have become politicized by an Administration and civilians at the Pentagon who care more about the election than they do about our soldiers.  There are disturbing reports that Iraq war veterans near the end of their enlistment are being coerced to reenlist against their wishes.  If they do not, they are told they will be sent back to Iraq.  This is an outrage.  Soldiers who served honorably, fought in Iraq and are near the end of their service should not be threatened with impressment.

The political decisions made by this White House and civilians at the Pentagon are damaging the capabilities of our military. We do not have enough men and women in our armed forces to carry out the missions the Bush Administration is demanding of them.  This has forced the army to require 12-month tours of duty in Iraq, even though senior officers admit yearlong tours reduce the effectiveness of soldiers in the field and hurt reenlistment rates.  This is already happening in the National Guard, which for the first time since 1994 will not meet its recruiting goals. 

Yet, because the Bush Administration insists that all is well in Iraq – regardless of the increasing insurgent attacks and American casualties–they refuse to expand the size of the military.  The result of this willful neglect is a military overextended to near the breaking point.  We do not have enough troops to capture Osama bin Laden or to secure Iraq.  Sixteen of our thirty-three army combat divisions are committed to various missions, so we do not have sufficient forces to rotate units out of combat zones.  With President Bush’s reckless go-it-alone policy of pre-emption and very serious military threats in Iran and North Korea, we could find ourselves in even more wars in 2005 or 2006.

So the military appears to have resorted to pressure tactics to maintain current force strength.  There are legitimate questions as to whether officials at the White House or civilian leadership at the Pentagon is pressuring Army officers at Fort Carson and other military installations to coerce Iraq war veterans to reenlist.  If this is the case, it is completely unacceptable.  It is an insult to America’s veterans and must
be investigated and, if found true, it must be stopped immediately.  The first priority of the House of Representatives should be to ensure the best interest of our military personnel, especially our combat veterans.  That is why I am circulating a letter asking House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter to hold hearings to investigate this situation.  I truly hope that we can put the interests of our soldiers ahead of party politics and conduct this investigation.

Anyone who has spoken with the veterans standing with me today or any of our soldiers and Marines who have served overseas would be proud of their efforts.   That is why we cannot allow them to become pawns of political calculations made by this White House to avoid acknowledging the real situation in Iraq.

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September 27, 2004

The Honorable Duncan Hunter
Chairman House Armed Services Committee
2120 Rayburn HOB

Chairman Hunter:

Last week, the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post published disturbing allegations that veterans of the Iraq war nearing the end of their 8-year enlistments in the military were threatened with a second tour in Iraq if they did not re-enlist. 

This is only the latest sign that the Pentagon may not be able to maintain necessary force strength through traditional recruiting and re-enlistment and that the U.S. military may not have sufficient personnel to meet current demands.  The Rocky and Post allegations followed new reports that the Pentagon is planning to call up additional National Guard troops and members of the Individual Ready Reserve in November.  In Iraq, an upswing in insurgent attacks over the past three months has placed an even greater strain on the American soldiers and Marines in country.

Unfortunately, there has been a concerted effort by White House and civilian Pentagon officials to downplay the number of American forces needed to win the war on terror and war in Iraq.  In March 2003, General Eric Shinseki told Congress that “several hundred thousand” forces could be needed to stabilize Iraq.  Only days later, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz called Shinseki’s remarks “way off the mark.”   In the FY2004 Defense Authorization Act, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) noted the “inadequacy of military manpower, especially active component end-strength, as indicated in the need to activate 33,000 reservists annually.” The Army has estimated its shortfall to be between 41,000 and 123,000 personnel.  The Pentagon’s civilian leaders have opposed HASC’s authorization to expand Army end-strength by 30,000.

This has had a detrimental effect on the combat-readiness of army forces.  Of the Army’s 33 combat brigades, 16 are already deployed in Iraq and three of the remaining brigades have other assigned missions or are in strategic reserve. The demand on military personnel has resulted in the delay of troop rotation and extensive use of reserve and National Guard soldiers – 42 percent in the summer of 2004 as opposed to 25 percent at the outset of the war. 

America’s military personnel have performed with bravery and honor in Iraq and the theaters of operation in the war on terror.  They have earned the full support of civilian officials.  Those that have served their full eight-year enlistment and have chosen to return to civilian life have earned the right to do so. 

I respectfully ask that HASC investigate whether, as a result of efforts to avoid expanding the size of the U.S. Armed Forces, White House or civilian Pentagon officials are pressuring the military to use coercive tactics to get soldiers to reenlist in order to maintain the force levels necessary to fight the war in Iraq and war on terror.

Diana DeGette
 

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