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- From: ndallen@r-node.pci.on.ca (Nigel Allen)
- Subject: Gen. Sullivan Promises "No Headlong Rushes" in Down-Sizing of Army
- Organization: Echo Beach, Toronto
- Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 04:27:19 GMT
- Message-ID: <1993Jan28.042719.6570@r-node.pci.on.ca>
- Lines: 64
-
- Here is a press release from the Reserve Officers Association.
-
- Gen. Sullivan Promises "No Headlong Rushes" In Down-Sizing Of Army
- To: National Desk
- Contact: Herbert M. Hart of the Reserve Officers Association,
- 202-479-2258
-
- WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 -- Promising that in shaping tomorrow's
- Army "we are not rushing in for headlong organizational
- changes," General Gordon R. Sullivan said today that "such headlong
- rushes -- done in the past -- take our eye off the central task, to
- win the nation's wars. We can't do that this time."
- Speaking at an Army section luncheon at the Reserve Officers
- Association Mid-Winter conference in Washington, D.C., the Army
- Chief of Staff added, "We have responsibilities we cannot ignore.
- Two generations of American world leadership have conditioned the
- world we face. We must be capable of decisive victory."
- Recognizing his audience of upwards of 1,000 Army Reservists,
- Sullivan commented that the Army Reserve "represents a great
- resource and great buy, for the Total Force and for the country.
- Many of you have the experience of active duty.
- "Many of you have talents that we cannot maintain in the active
- inventory...Many of you are involved in the cutting edge of your
- field in civilian life, medicine, management, operations, technology,
- computers, etc. That keeps us fresh with new and needed ideas.
- "You give the Army depth and the capabilities to bring success to
- the American people."
- Sullivan said that a critical feature for the future Army will be
- mobility. "That affects the Army Reserve and how we do business," he
- explained. Sixty percent of the combat service support in the
- contingency corps comes from the Reserve Components. That means that
- some Army Reserve units must be in a very high state of readiness.
- "Additionally, the Army Reserve is the component which has a
- tremendous amount of transportation and transportation management
- assets of the Total Army. Therefore, when the Army projects power,
- anywhere in the world, the Army Reserve is going to be vitally
- involved. Army port and transportation units move the force --
- trucks, ammunition handling units, port and terminal operations
- units, barges, rail. All are required to deploy the Total Army from
- home station to the theater of operations, and employ the force once
- it arrives.
- "Now, moving that force, keeping it trained and ready, and
- operating all over the world -- meeting the nation's call -- that
- takes money. And right now, in this environment, it's hard and going
- to get harder."
- Noting "dollars constrain what we can do," Sullivan added, "I
- can't keep force structure that absorbs dollars needed elsewhere, in
- training, maintenance, leader development, and quality of life
- programs. We must keep the force trained and ready, no matter its
- size. If we make prudent use of all the components and structure and
- fund them for what they can reasonably be expected to do, then we can
- field a capable force for America.
- "If we can't keep the force structure we have on hand trained and
- ready, then we must face up to the trade-off. We've done that, and
- we're doing it today, and will continue to cut force structure, if
- needed to maintain a trained and ready force. We've got to use all
- our resources wisely and effectively."
- Sullivan said that he was "committed to keeping the Army Reserve a
- strong, vital full partner in the defense of America. I have to,
- because you bring so much capability to the American way of
- war."
- -30-
- --
- Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario ndallen@r-node.pci.on.ca
-