http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/mi.../81270116/

Quote:Nearly half of non-deployed Marine units do not have all of the personnel, equipment or training they need, said Assistant Commandant Gen. John Paxton.

“I think it’s 46 percent [of units that] have some degree of personnel, training or equipment degradation,” Paxton told reporters on Thursday after testifying before the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee.

Commandant Gen. Robert Neller has said he wants 80 percent of Marine units at or near optimum readiness levels, but “we’re not there,” said Paxton, who did not have detailed information about what precisely non-deployed units lack.

Quote:Marine Corps officials reiterated on Thursday that aviation squadrons faces the most serious readiness issues.

“We do not believe that we are going to have full-spectrum aviation readiness until at least 2020 — and that is presuming that the budget continues as is,” Paxton told lawmakers at Thursday’s hearing.

Buying new aircraft while maintaining older models has made it challenging to get aviation units the spare parts they need, Paxton said.

“A lot of times, it is the parts that [are] the key limiting factor,” he said. “You have to get them out there. That takes money to do it. It also takes time to get them there.”

Part of the $460 million the Marine Corps is requesting from Congress would buy spare parts for the new F-35B joint strike fighters, Walters said.

“From the '12 budget to now, we’ve lost 30 percent of our dollars across the board,” he said. “Our toplines have been flat. We try to buy the right parts that we project we’re going to need. We know we’re under resourced for spare parts.”

Thanks Obummer!!!

Soldiers want money, students want money, hospitals want money....

Where is all this money going to come from?!?!?!?!?

(03-03-2016 04:38 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  Soldiers want money, students want money, hospitals want money....

Where is all this money going to come from?!?!?!?!?

because students are risking their lives everyday to defend this country right?

P.S.
Soldiers do not want more money, they need better equipment

(03-03-2016 04:38 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  Soldiers want money, students want money, hospitals want money....

Where is all this money going to come from?!?!?!?!?

Only one group on that list is a Constitutionally mandated expense. Perhaps we start there.

(03-03-2016 04:38 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  Soldiers want money, students want money, hospitals want money....

Where is all this money going to come from?!?!?!?!?

A growing economy under someone competent?

(03-03-2016 04:38 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  Soldiers want money, students want money, hospitals want money....

Where is all this money going to come from?!?!?!?!?

somehow bitcoin and 3d printing will bail out the 19^T....that's what the internutz thinkle with their puny tinkles...

Only Trump can make things right again.

(03-03-2016 04:51 PM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  

(03-03-2016 04:38 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  Soldiers want money, students want money, hospitals want money....

Where is all this money going to come from?!?!?!?!?

because students are risking their lives everyday to defend this country right?

P.S.
Soldiers do not want more money, they need better equipment

Hey, wait a second. I wanted more money. And better equipment.

Lance missle, baby. Cold war leftover even in the late 80s. Strategic nukes. Shoot, move and communicate, all with what one grunt buddy of mine called 'cartoon rockets.' If the balloon ever went up go hide in the Spessart mountains and point everything at the Fulda Gap, pull the trigger and blow up a couple grid squares when the Soviets started running west with all those T-72s.

Never happened, of course. The Soviets fell apart. The capitalists took over and turned Russia into a giant casino. Went from promoting arts and culture to strip joints and fast food. Viva the free market. Everything is about what sells the most, and that's not Tolstoy. It's Ronald McDonald.

Actually, I wonder if maybe we put too much emphasis on 'defending this country' and not enough on having a foreign policy that doesn't piss off the poor and downtrodden all over the planet. If we consistently supported abroad the same principles we claim to at home, we wouldn't need to spend trillions to 'defend this country.'

I dunno. But I think the Marines aren't the only ones who aren't ready to deploy. This never ending war on terror keeps on keeping on, seems.

(03-03-2016 04:53 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(03-03-2016 04:38 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  Soldiers want money, students want money, hospitals want money....

Where is all this money going to come from?!?!?!?!?

Only one group on that list is a Constitutionally mandated expense. Perhaps we start there.

That's sort of a tightrope. The Constitution does not provide for a standing army. But the money "might" be mandated, however, it would be based on the original use of force agreement that's still in effect from shortly after 9/11. And it's quite a stretch to say that it's still correctly enforceable today. The really need a new vote IMO.

(03-04-2016 10:05 AM)gsu95 Wrote:  

(03-03-2016 04:51 PM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  

(03-03-2016 04:38 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  Soldiers want money, students want money, hospitals want money....

Where is all this money going to come from?!?!?!?!?

because students are risking their lives everyday to defend this country right?

P.S.
Soldiers do not want more money, they need better equipment

Hey, wait a second. I wanted more money. And better equipment.

Lance missle, baby. Cold war leftover even in the late 80s. Strategic nukes. Shoot, move and communicate, all with what one grunt buddy of mine called 'cartoon rockets.' If the balloon ever went up go hide in the Spessart mountains and point everything at the Fulda Gap, pull the trigger and blow up a couple grid squares when the Soviets started running west with all those T-72s.

Never happened, of course. The Soviets fell apart. The capitalists took over and turned Russia into a giant casino. Went from promoting arts and culture to strip joints and fast food. Viva the free market. Everything is about what sells the most, and that's not Tolstoy. It's Ronald McDonald.

Actually, I wonder if maybe we put too much emphasis on 'defending this country' and not enough on having a foreign policy that doesn't piss off the poor and downtrodden all over the planet. If we consistently supported abroad the same principles we claim to at home, we wouldn't need to spend trillions to 'defend this country.'

I dunno. But I think the Marines aren't the only ones who aren't ready to deploy. This never ending war on terror keeps on keeping on, seems.

The problem is we aren't just defending this country. We're defending the world and the western way of life. Our allies are bums that get the advantages of a powerful American military without paying a fair share of those defense costs.

The thing is, it'll never change because, unless there is a major world war again, they'll never be able to push through the kinds of military spending increases that would allow us to curtail our spending without compromising world security.

Their citizens get free healthcare and free college while ours carry the burden of being prepared to save their asses if the need arises. If they paid their fair share for defending the "free" world, many of them wouldn't be able to afford the social programs that many of them already can't afford anyway.

(03-03-2016 04:26 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/mi.../81270116/

Quote:Nearly half of non-deployed Marine units do not have all of the personnel, equipment or training they need, said Assistant Commandant Gen. John Paxton.

“I think it’s 46 percent [of units that] have some degree of personnel, training or equipment degradation,” Paxton told reporters on Thursday after testifying before the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee.

Commandant Gen. Robert Neller has said he wants 80 percent of Marine units at or near optimum readiness levels, but “we’re not there,” said Paxton, who did not have detailed information about what precisely non-deployed units lack.

Quote:Marine Corps officials reiterated on Thursday that aviation squadrons faces the most serious readiness issues.

“We do not believe that we are going to have full-spectrum aviation readiness until at least 2020 — and that is presuming that the budget continues as is,” Paxton told lawmakers at Thursday’s hearing.

Buying new aircraft while maintaining older models has made it challenging to get aviation units the spare parts they need, Paxton said.

“A lot of times, it is the parts that [are] the key limiting factor,” he said. “You have to get them out there. That takes money to do it. It also takes time to get them there.”

Part of the $460 million the Marine Corps is requesting from Congress would buy spare parts for the new F-35B joint strike fighters, Walters said.

“From the '12 budget to now, we’ve lost 30 percent of our dollars across the board,” he said. “Our toplines have been flat. We try to buy the right parts that we project we’re going to need. We know we’re under resourced for spare parts.”

That's what happens when you sell out for the F-35. Marine Air is killing Marine Ground and might just drag the entire service along with it.

(03-04-2016 10:05 AM)gsu95 Wrote:  

(03-03-2016 04:51 PM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  

(03-03-2016 04:38 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  Soldiers want money, students want money, hospitals want money....

Where is all this money going to come from?!?!?!?!?

because students are risking their lives everyday to defend this country right?

P.S.
Soldiers do not want more money, they need better equipment

Hey, wait a second. I wanted more money. And better equipment.

Lance missle, baby. Cold war leftover even in the late 80s. Strategic nukes. Shoot, move and communicate, all with what one grunt buddy of mine called 'cartoon rockets.' If the balloon ever went up go hide in the Spessart mountains and point everything at the Fulda Gap, pull the trigger and blow up a couple grid squares when the Soviets started running west with all those T-72s.

Never happened, of course. The Soviets fell apart. The capitalists took over and turned Russia into a giant casino. Went from promoting arts and culture to strip joints and fast food. Viva the free market. Everything is about what sells the most, and that's not Tolstoy. It's Ronald McDonald.

Actually, I wonder if maybe we put too much emphasis on 'defending this country' and not enough on having a foreign policy that doesn't piss off the poor and downtrodden all over the planet. If we consistently supported abroad the same principles we claim to at home, we wouldn't need to spend trillions to 'defend this country.'

I dunno. But I think the Marines aren't the only ones who aren't ready to deploy. This never ending war on terror keeps on keeping on, seems.

that's about right.....justifying means and the lack of

(03-04-2016 06:53 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(03-04-2016 10:05 AM)gsu95 Wrote:  

(03-03-2016 04:51 PM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  

(03-03-2016 04:38 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  Soldiers want money, students want money, hospitals want money....

Where is all this money going to come from?!?!?!?!?

because students are risking their lives everyday to defend this country right?

P.S.
Soldiers do not want more money, they need better equipment

Hey, wait a second. I wanted more money. And better equipment.

Lance missle, baby. Cold war leftover even in the late 80s. Strategic nukes. Shoot, move and communicate, all with what one grunt buddy of mine called 'cartoon rockets.' If the balloon ever went up go hide in the Spessart mountains and point everything at the Fulda Gap, pull the trigger and blow up a couple grid squares when the Soviets started running west with all those T-72s.

Never happened, of course. The Soviets fell apart. The capitalists took over and turned Russia into a giant casino. Went from promoting arts and culture to strip joints and fast food. Viva the free market. Everything is about what sells the most, and that's not Tolstoy. It's Ronald McDonald.

Actually, I wonder if maybe we put too much emphasis on 'defending this country' and not enough on having a foreign policy that doesn't piss off the poor and downtrodden all over the planet. If we consistently supported abroad the same principles we claim to at home, we wouldn't need to spend trillions to 'defend this country.'

I dunno. But I think the Marines aren't the only ones who aren't ready to deploy. This never ending war on terror keeps on keeping on, seems.

that's about right.....justifying means and the lack of

Bold = Gold. More people need to wonder in this fashion.

On topic: I don't know much about this country's strategy for rapid military response, but I've always considered the Marines to be "first in, last out" and all that. If even a small portion of the troops that theoretically would be called on to bolt off to war aren't prepared for it, that is a serious problem.