When our fighting forces need to make split second decisions on the battle field, there is no time to waste to make a telephone call to ask permission to attack. Yet, during a recent meeting with Iraq war veterans from the Nebraska National Guard I heard disturbing tales that this “battlefield bureaucracy” does, in fact, exist.
One officer who commanded a unit that provided security for the big American base, Camp Anaconda, told me that when insurgents were seen outside the base preparing to attack, he didn’t have the authority to order his troops to fire until he got permission. I intend to raise this issue with General David Petraeus, America’s top commander in Iraq, to see if base commanders should be given more authority to strike.
This is the kind of important information I got during a recent meeting with 35 Iraq war veterans who are members of the Nebraska Army and Air National Guard and their families. That information will be helpful to me when I return to Iraq in mid September on my fourth fact finding mission.
That visit will coincide with General Petraeus’report to Congress on the benchmarks that are designed to determine if the Iraqis are making progress toward taking control of their own country.
During the meeting with Guard members I was reminded that we need to make sure that soldiers have the support they need when they return home. Unlike active-duty military who return to a base, Guard members are scattered around the state, and many return quickly to civilian jobs.
As one highly decorated officer who served in Afghanistan told me, “It's hard for us to get the thinking changed to realize that our installation (the state) is 400 miles across and 200 miles deep. We need the resources to support our soldiers all around the state." He was referring to injured National Guard soldiers recovering at posts far from home who could heal much faster if they can be near families and friends.
Another concern I heard was that some units are getting changes in their mission after their initial training has been completed. An example was a transport company that is doing security. Training should match the mission and it is another issue I plan to raise with top military officials.
I also learned some good things about what we’re doing and need to continue doing. Several soldiers told me that while they were in Iraq they came to rely on the National Guard’s family support programs to help their relatives back in Nebraska. The programs meant a lot to them because if they don’t have support for their families, it’s difficult for them to stay in the Guard.
I was heartened to hear that soldiers who recently returned from Iraq had largely received the equipment they needed to perform their missions there. Equipment shortages are something I dealt with in the past and am committed to making certain don’t happen again.
What happens in the next few weeks will be important to the future of our involvement in Iraq and I want to thank members of the Nebraska National Guard for helping me carry their message and concerns back to Capitol Hill so they can have a voice in what happens.
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