Afghanistan war readiness forces trade-offs - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Afghanistan war readiness forces trade-offs

Equipment and supplies for the 30,000 U.S. ground troops surging into Afghanistan are there waiting for them as a result of an all-out logistics effort, senior military officials said Wednesday.

But one of the costs of being prepared is that the replacement of wartime stockpiles must be pushed further into the future.

Testifying before a Senate subcommittee about current and future readiness, Assistant Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos said about 40 percent of the equipment items being transferred from Iraq to Afghanistan in preparation for the surge was destined to be returned to U.S. stockpiles for future contingencies.

That is a good thing, Amos said, although it is an example of “the kind of strain on the forces.”

Amos and Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli were asked about equipment by Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee’s readiness and management support panel. Burr was trying to determine how much money and time would be needed to fully restore the readiness of U.S. combat forces after years of conflict.

“We have equipment in Afghanistan ahead of forces,” Chiarelli said, predicting that readiness levels for the Army would be restored beginning in 2012 as long as unpredicted contingencies don’t arise. Dwell time, the amount of time spent at a home station between deployments, also would return to about two years at home between deployments beginning in 2012, he said.

But he also added a cryptic disclaimer: “You don’t have the dwell until you have the dwell.” He was responding, specifically, to remarks by Burr that Army units deployed to Haiti for earthquake relief were supposed to be resting at Fort Bragg, N.C., between deployments.

Marines in Afghanistan “are fully equipped and are reporting the highest levels of readiness,” Amos said. “We are good in Afghanistan.”