WASHINGTON (CNN) — Army chief of staff Gen. George Casey, testifying on troop strain before the Senate Armed Forces Committee Tuesday, said there is “no reason to doubt” Sen. Barack Obama’s military shortage story during CNN’s debate in Austin, Texas, last week.
Sen. Barack Obama says he knows of a platoon sent to Afghanistan with a shortage of personnel and equipment.
“You know, I’ve heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon — supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon. Ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq,” Obama told CNN moderator Campbell Brown.
“And as a consequence, they didn’t have enough ammunition, they didn’t have enough Humvees. They were actually capturing Taliban weapons, because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief,” he added.
War supporters have challenged the story, but Casey said he had “no reason to doubt what it is the captain says.”
UPDATE: Seems that the story doesn't pass the smell test.
4 comments:
Platoons are not broken up. It's a crock. Obama doesn't have the faintest idea what he's talking about.
Generals get their last few stars and positions at the behest of political leaders. This guy is just protecting himself in case Obama wins.
Here's a neutral fact check of the story.
The other red flag to me was to hear Obama suggest that they were trying to capture Taliban weapons because they didn't have their own. That was pure BS.
Strange that the Army Chief of staff said anything then. Wouldn't no comment have been safest for him?
Flag officers are human, too. Some talk too much, some talk to little, some are too active, some aren't. There's a lot of variance in the ranks, particularly when it comes to personality. That's why changes at the top levels can have dramatic effects down the chain.
The thing to remember is that their promotions and positions are confirmed by politicians. It's a blessing, not a curse and has kept us from becoming a military dictatorship. The downside is that the flag officers really need to watch what they say to keep from creating enemies who will terminate their career growth.
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