Monday, May 15, 2006
Huh?
I know Democrats want to avoid appearing weak on national defense, but they should drop the 'stretched thin' line. If Democrats really want to wrestle national security from Republicans then they should scream for a larger army until they're horse (special forces, army, guard, whatever). That brings them back to veterans' health benefits, education incentives, and Republican defense failures.
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Sen Bayh has been pushing for a larger military...
An Indiana senator wants to increase funding for U.S. Special Operations Command, arguing that Socom lacks all the tools it needs to combat al-Qaida and other terrorists.
Boosting Socom's intelligence-gathering capabilities should be one of the top priorities, said U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee's emerging threats and capabilities panel.
In an April 28 letter to the chairman and senior Democrat on the committee, Bayh said additional money would pay for a second squadron of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles.
Predators cruise at about 80 mph thousands of feet above the ground, snapping still photos and taking video. A satellite link ships the images to forces on the ground, giving them a complete picture of denied areas.
The extra cash won't be coming soon, however. During deliberations last week on the fiscal year 2007 defense spending bill, the committee decided not to include funding for the additional vehicles because they cannot be built within the next year, said Bayh's spokesman, Dan Pfeiffer.
Socom's senior leaders also have said they need more special operations forces, Bayh's letter said, and he has asked the committee to determine how many more commandos are needed to handle future requirements.
"I am concerned there are regions and countries that might be stable today, but could become critical areas in the war on terrorism in the future, including in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia," Bayh wrote.
The Bush administration has requested $8 billion in funding for Socom in fiscal year 2007, which begins Oct. 1.
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