John Kerry: Military Must Be Ready to Face Modern-Day Threats

In the wake of recent reports released in the past couple of days, that our military is stretched too thin, and a denial today from Donald Rumsfeld on those reports, Senator John Kerry issued the following statement today:

“Two reports from former Secretary of Defense William Perry and respected defense analyst Andrew Krepinevich tell us what we’ve known for several years – we need to increase the size of our military to meet the threats of today and tomorrow.

“The war on terror and the war in Iraq have shown that no matter how many ‘smart bombs’ you’ve got, you still need boots on the ground. We need more special forces and top-notch intelligence. This Administration doesn’t realize we can’t fight terrorists hiding around the globe in the post-9/11 world with a military sized for the post-Cold War world.

“For the last several years, many of us have warned of an Army that is too small for the missions of the twenty-first century. The Administration has responded with only half-measures and band-aids. In a stunning example of mismanagement, the Administration now plans to reduce National Guard brigades and to slow the rate of growth in the active duty Army. This is taking the Army in the wrong direction—and making America less safe.”

Kerry has introduced several (prior) measures in the Senate to increase the size of the military to meet the threats of today’s world.