97647. Chairman Reviews His Term

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

        WASHINGTON -- The United States military is the envy of the 
world, but America must invest more -- in people and equipment -- to 
keep the armed forces ready, said Army Gen. John M. Shalikashvili.
        Shalikashvili retired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 
Sept. 30. He sketched his four years as chairman before the National 
Press Club in a speech about a week earlier.
        He said the difference between American forces and forces of 
those who wish the United States ill "is greater than at any time in 
my 39 years of service."
        The continuing excellence of the American military comes even as 
the armed forces downsized by a third. "To put it in perspective, the 
700,000 [service members] we cut is more than the number of troops in 
the British, the German, the Dutch and the Danish armed forces put 
together," Shalikashvili said. 
        These types of cuts usually lead to problems in readiness he 
said. He cited drawdowns after World War II, Korea and Vietnam as 
examples. The U.S. forces drawdown after those wars led to a dramatic 
loss of military capabilities, he said. "But not this time, ... we 
have managed this huge drawdown and created a significantly smaller, 
but pound-for-pound, an even more capable, ready force. And it is a 
good thing we did, because in the wake of the Cold War came not peace 
and stability, but ethnic and religious conflicts, failed states, 
widespread instability, humanitarian disasters and that old standby, 
naked aggression."
        Since 1993, U.S. forces have engaged in over 40 separate 
operations around the globe. While some are small, some -- such as 
Bosnia -- have been large.
        Shalikashvili spoke about the Bosnia situation. He said what role 
the United States plays when the stabilization force ends in June 1998 
remains to be decided. Whatever happens, he said, while the United 
States can help, it is up to the people of Bosnia whether they choose 
the road to peace or war.
        The chairman praised American service members. "While it is 
possible to debate the wisdom of America's involvement in this or that 
operation, there is no doubt about the magnificent performance of our 
men and women in uniform in these varied and often very difficult 
operations," he said.
        But the military is not perfect. Shalikashvili addressed the 
problems of hazing, gender integration and sexual misconduct. These 
problems destroy units and are "flat wrong," he said.
        "We will continue to address each wrong speedily, openly, fairly, 
protecting the rights of those involved," he said.
        Other problems are on the horizon, he told reporters. Operations 
tempo and personnel tempo are concerns. There are signs recruiting is 
falling off, and with the airlines hiring, there is a drain on pilots. 
DoD will reduce joint training exercises by 25 percent, he said, to 
reduce service members time away from home. 
        The United States must continue to recruit the best possible 
people for the military because of the wide range of threats facing 
the country. "Out to the year 2010, our forces in the field will 
likely face a wide range of threats -- from terrorists to rogue states 
equipped with weapons of mass destruction to potent regional powers," 
he said. 
        Beyond 2010, the country may face another power with the 
resources to challenge the United States on a global scale. "First and 
foremost, our forces must remain ready, manned, equipped and trained 
to fight and win our nation's wars," Shalikashvili said. "And that 
brings me to the crux of the matter: Just what is it that we will have 
to do to prepare for the future, to protect and advance our interests 
and to maintain our operational excellence?"
        The United States must develop and stick to standards on when the 
country applies force or deploys military personnel, he said. 
"Whenever and however used, our forces need a clear mission, a 
straightforward chain of command, robust rules of engagement that 
allow them to get the mission accomplished and to properly protect 
themselves and sufficient forces to get the job done."  The United 
States must guard against trying to do jobs on the cheap, he said.
        Shalikashvili also praised the strides made in creating a truly 
joint military. In the past, he said, each service plotted its own way 
to the future. With the publication of Joint Vision 2010 last year, 
the military plots a joint future. "If we implement Joint Vision 2010 
correctly, the nation, decades hence, will have a much more effective 
joint force, one capable of fighting and winning across the entire 
spectrum of future operations," he said.
        But some want to turn the clock back, Shalikashvili said. "There 
are still strident voices for parochialism, who would like to slow the 
progress of jointness in the force," he said. The chairman defended 
the Joint Staff, the senior military staff, and said the organization 
is needed to guide the military joint future.
        DoD must get money for modernization, and Shalikashvili called 
for more base closures. This will free money for modernization. "Even 
at the height of the Cold War, we had more bases than we needed," he 
said. "Since then, we have reduced the force by a third and reduced 
the budget nearly 40 percent, but we have only reduced our domestic 
basing structure by some 21 percent. We are worse off now, more 
unbalanced, than when we started the [base realignment and closure] 
process. Put simply, we are now paying for bases we don't need, and we 
don't have the money for things we do need."




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