Help Our Troops Get the Rest They Need to Stay at the Ready
Recently, the House passed H.R. 3159, Representative Ellen Tauscher's Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Act that seeks to put an end to the Pentagon's practice of sending soldiers and Marines back to Iraq without proper rest or training.
Every day, we ask our troops to make heroic sacrifices -- yet as soon as they return we rush them back into battle. In fact, the President's surge has sent many of our Army units to Iraq for the second and third time -- without adequate rest or training. Army generals recommend that in times of war, our troops have two years away from combat after one year on the battlefield.
H.R. 3159 sets a bottom line: a minimum period of rest, recuperation and training between deployments to keep American troops at the ready.
H.R. 3159 is needed to help relieve the terrible strain currently on our armed forces, as troops are deployed and redeployed on an increasingly frequent and lengthy basis. Read more...
We must provide greater rest and training if American troops are to be prepared to do their job in Iraq and return home safely. Read more...
Accepted practice for sustainable deployment cycles during wartime is at least two years away from combat for every year in combat. Read more...
The current deployment cycles have had a dramatic and negative impact on our National Guard strength as well. Read more...
The strength of America’s military is at stake and so too is our country’s security. Read more...
Help Make H.R. 3159 Law! Tell President Bush and Senate Republicans to Stop the Obstruction
H.R. 3159 is needed to help relieve the terrible strain currently on our armed forces, as troops are deployed and redeployed on an increasingly frequent and lengthy basis. Despite this, a Senate Republican filibuster has stalled the measure, sponsored by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) – a former Marine and Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan. And President Bush has threatened to veto it.
After four years of lengthy and frequent deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, America’s armed forces are stretched to the point of breaking – greatly impacting our military readiness and putting our national security at risk. America’s troops are counting on us to make sure they have the rest they need to stay at the ready.
Sign the petition urging the Senate to pass H.R. 3159! Tell President Bush to sign H.R. 3159 into law and support our troops.
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America’s Security Is At Risk
We must provide greater rest and training if American troops are to be prepared to do their job in Iraq and return home safely. Current policies have brought the greatest military in the world to the breaking point and our depleted forces are not as ready to meet the threats abroad. The fact is, with the exception of the unit defending South Korea, not a single Army brigade has sufficient equipment for immediate deployment to other global hot spots.
H.R. 3159 will not only take the first step toward restoring the readiness and strength of our armed forces – it will help protect American national security by ensuring our troops are rested and prepared to meet the challenges of this century.
Sign the petition urging the Senate to pass H.R. 3159! Tell President Bush to sign H.R. 3159 into law and support our troops.
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Rest and Readiness Go Hand in Hand
Accepted practice for sustainable deployment cycles during wartime is at least two years away from combat for every year in combat. Bush administration policies of the last four years have turned that ratio upside-down. Soldiers and Marines deploying to Iraq regularly spend just twelve months resting and training for every fifteen months spent in combat.
Our military needs time to rest. To refresh their basic skills. And prepare for the ever-changing battlefield of their next mission. Without rest – our armed forces are increasingly at risk of losing their readiness, putting our national security on the line.
Sign the petition urging the Senate to pass H.R. 3159! Tell President Bush to sign H.R. 3159 into law and support our troops.
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Keeping Our National Guard Strong
The current deployment cycles have had a dramatic and negative impact on our National Guard strength as well. This administration is spending nearly three hundred and thirty million dollars every day in Iraq, which is draining homeland security resources of every state from Alaska to Florida. The regular and lengthy deployments of National Guard troops has left our homeland vulnerable to threat and unable to meet the challenges created by natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the recent tornadoes in Kansas. Our National Guard units are supposed to be a back-up for emergencies at home, not a revolving door to Iraq.
Sign the petition urging the Senate to pass H.R. 3159! Tell President Bush to sign H.R. 3159 into law and support our troops.
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The Facts
The strength of America’s military is at stake and so too is our country’s security. Consider the facts:
Lengthy and frequent combat deployments have resulted in a growing attrition rate of experienced troops and lower standards for new recruits.
Today, Junior officers and NCOs are leaving the service at the highest rates in 30 years.
In 2007, 12% of recruits had criminal records.
Last year the Army was three thousand officers short.
Reduced rest and training time means our troops do not have the opportunity to earn key counterinsurgency skills like language, culture, or intelligence.
Reduced rest and training time means troops often are not able to practice with their unit before deployment.
Reduced rest and training time means troops experience increased combat strain – in fact 30% of soldiers and Marines in Iraq combat units suffer from anxiety, acute stress or depression.
Research in Iraq has shown that troops with high levels of combat stress are more likely to hit civilians, violate the military’s ethical standards, or say that civilians should not be treated with dignity and respect.
Sign the petition urging the Senate to pass H.R. 3159! Tell President Bush to sign H.R. 3159 into law and support our troops.
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Sign the Petition!
Representative Ellen Tauscher has crafted H.R. 3159 to mandate that all of our troops have minimum periods of rest and recuperation between deployments to Iraq. But the Republicans in the Senate are stalling the measure and President Bush has threatened to veto it.
If you support the fighting men and women of our Armed Forces and their families...
If you believe in a military that stands ready to fight threats to our national security wherever and whenever they occur...
Tell the Senate Republicans to stop the obstruction!
Tell President Bush to sign H.R. 3159!
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