Thread: DailyMail- Military so depleted under Obama now only 'marginally defend Nation

US military has become so depleted under Obama it is now only 'marginally able' to defend nation, scathing report claims

• Report released by think tank The Heritage Foundation on Tuesday
• Claims US military can no longer achieve its objective of being able to fight two simultaneous wars
• Cuts to number of soldiers and naval ships leave US under-powered

By Lydia Willgress for MailOnline
Published: 04:33 EST, 26 February 2015 | Updated: 10:14 EST, 26 February 2015
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President Obama (above) no longer has a viable national security strategy due to funding and troop cuts, a new report by The Heritage Foundation claims

The US military has become so depleted by cuts that it has been left only 'marginally able' to defend the nation.
Decreases in the number of soldiers and naval ships have led to armed forces falling short of President Obama's national security strategy, a report by The Heritage Foundation claimed.
Obama's aim was to ensure that the country could still fight two major conflicts at once.
But the Index of US Military Strength report, released by the think tank on Tuesday, said that with current funding this would be problematic.
The report said: 'The consistent decline in funding and the consequent shrinking of the US Army are putting it under significant pressure.
'The cumulative effect of such factors has resulted in a US military that is marginally able to meet the demands of defending America's vital national interests.'
The Quadrennial Defense Review announced last year that the Army would be cut from 570,000 soldiers to 440,000 - the fewest since World War II.
The Army historically commits 21 brigade combat teams to one war but would struggle to do this and leave reserves if there were two simultaneous conflicts, the report said.
It added that the Navy would need another 62 ships to be able to carry out two large campaigns.
However the Air Force’s fleet is judged 'strong'.
Dakota Wood, a Heritage analyst and former Marine Corps officer, said: 'The US military itself is ageing. It's shrinking in size.
'It's quickly becoming problematic in terms of being able to address more than one major conflict.'
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The report said the US military has become so depleted that it has been left only 'marginally able' to defend the nation. A US solider is pictured (above) at Estonia's Independence Day march near the Russian border on Tuesday


The Army historically commits 21 brigade combat teams to one war but would struggle to do this and leave reserves if there were two simultaneous conflicts, the report said. US soldiers (above) are pictured in M1126 Stryker armoured vehicles after joining the parade in Estonia earlier this week

US military ageing and shrinking says military strength report





Randy Forbes, member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the report's findings were stark.
He said: 'It paints a stark picture of shortfalls in capability, capacity and readiness across the force, and illustrates the damage done by years of irresponsible budget cuts.
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'If you listen to the Army, they will give testimony that they can no longer guarantee. You talk about two wars - they testified they can't guarantee that we could win one war.
'The Navy will tell you if we get to 260 ships, we cease to be a superpower - we become a regional power.The Quadrennial Defense Review announced last year that the Army would be cut from 570,000 soldiers to 440,000 - the fewest since World War II. US Army soldiers are pictured (above) on exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, in 2013

'I encourage all policy-makers interested in the current state of our military, and how to improve it, to review this Index.'
Under Obama the Pentagon's base budget, minus overseas war costs, has decreased from $527 billion in 2010 to around $496 billion.
He is hoping the budget will increase to $534 billion in 2016.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...rt-claims.html

Its getting so bad that
Pentagon Moves to Allow Transgender People to Serve Openly in the Military

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Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, left, last week. On Monday, he announced a plan to change rules he called "outdated." Credit Zach Gibson/The New York Times

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The Pentagon is moving to allow transgender people to serve openly in the military by early next year and end an “outdated” regulation that harms the armed forces, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said on Monday.
Pentagon officials are to spend the coming months working out the administrative and legal changes needed to remove one of the final barriers to all Americans serving in the military.
If realized, the plan would end what is seen as one of the last discriminatory rules about who can enlist or be commissioned in the American military. It would also be a tacit recognition that thousands of transgender people are already in uniform.
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Mr. Carter acknowledged as much in a statement announcing the plan. “We have transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines — real, patriotic Americans — who I know are being hurt by an outdated, confusing, inconsistent approach that’s contrary to our value of service and individual merit,” he said. “The Defense Department’s current regulations regarding transgender service members are outdated and are causing uncertainty that distracts commanders from our core missions.”
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Some estimates put the number of transgender people in the military at more than 15,000. Much like the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which applied to gay men, lesbians and bisexuals until it was lifted in 2011, the current rules have done little to keep transgender people out of the military.
Instead it has forced them into a precarious existence in the ranks: The lucky ones have superiors who are content to look the other way, but the less fortunate must keep their transgender status a secret, leaving themselves open to expulsion if their colleagues were to learn the truth.
Since taking over the Pentagon this year, Mr. Carter has signaled his unhappiness with the current policy, as have other senior civilian defense officials.
Mr. Carter said in his statement on Monday that he was creating a working group that would have six months to assess what impact ending the ban would have on the military. The group will also help come up with ways to train troops to ensure a smooth transition, a senior defense official said.
Despite the formation of the working group, Mr. Carter left little doubt that the decision had been all but formally made to lift the ban.
“At my direction, the working group will start with the presumption that transgender persons can serve openly without adverse impact on military effectiveness and readiness, unless and except where objective, practical impediments are identified,” Mr. Carter said.
The working group is to be led by Brad Carson, the acting undersecretary of defense, who also is a longtime champion of transgender rights. The plan was first reported by The Associated Press.
The chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy and the commandant of the Marine Corps have been briefed on the plan and are not opposed to lifting the ban, a senior defense official said.
Although transgender people are still technically barred from the ranks, the goal is to keep any from being forced out of the military, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the plan with a reporter.
The timeline for lifting the ban over several months, allowing for reviews and changes to rules, is similar to the timeline the Pentagon followed after Congress in 2010 repealed the legislation that forced gay men, lesbians and bisexuals in the military to keep their sexual orientation secret. It was not until 2011 that the military put the change into practice and let gay, lesbian and bisexual troops serve openly. “We saw that a gradual approach is what worked,” the defense official said.
“I don’t think it’s been as hard as some people thought it would be” to allow gay men, lesbians and bisexuals to openly serve in the military, the official added, arguing that the gradual approach to lifting the ban eased the transition and led to the success with which it is viewed today.
News of the plan began spreading hours before Mr. Carter’s announcement, and advocacy groups that have pushed for the change were quick to praise the development.
“We are thrilled the Department of Defense will finally be taking the necessary steps to allow our transgender service members to serve openly and honestly,” said Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association, an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender military families. “We look forward in anticipation to the announcement this week and being able to review the process and implementation.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/us...enly.html?_r=0

This is a very important statement...

US military can no longer achieve its objective of being able to fight two simultaneous wars

It has been a core principle of the US military to be able to fight two major wars simultaneously if necessary since the lessons of WW2 when we found ourselves struggling to fight in Europe and the South Pacific at the same time!

America has been betrayed by traitors from within!

Wake up and smell the treason America!

W