<102995826"> Usa – forze armate – conflitti internazionali
<102995827"> NYT 05-05-03
<102995828"> Il Pentagono afferma che lo sforzo in Irak llimita l’abilità a combattere altri conflitti
Thom Shanker
In un rapporto riservato del presidente dei capi di stato maggiore americani, Richard B. Myers, consigliere capo del presidente e del segretario alla Difesa Donal H. Rumsfeld, ha informato il Congresso che, a causa dell’impegno di risorse in Irak e Afghanistan, eventuali importanti operazioni belliche in qualsiasi parte del globo richiederebbero più tempo e produrrebbero un numero maggiore di vittime americane e di civili stranieri (danni collaterali).
I fattori citati da Myers: ridotto stock di armi di precisione consumate in Irak e lo stress delle unità di riserva che adempiono alla maggior parte dei compiti di supporto nei combattimenti in Irak.
In caso di missioni di difesa degli Usa le forze armate americane corrono un rischio moderato; nella prevenzione dei conflitti, compresi gli attacchi a sorpresa il rischio è moderato ma tende a divenire rilevante.
Gli americani potrebbero agire « meno rapidamente e con minor precisione di quanto previsto nei nostri piani attuali».
Myers rileva i miglioramenti già in corso per diminuire il rischio, in particolare l’esercito in Irak sta riorganizzando truppe attive e di riserva per creare un maggior numero di unità da poter dispiegare; tuttavia questa ristrutturazione richiederà diversi anni.
Attualmente ci sono circa 138 000 soldati americani in Irak, e circa 17 000 in Afghanistan.
Il rapporto del generale differisce da quanto il presidente Bush ha riferito sul rapporto stesso in una conferenza stampa la scorsa settimana: il numero delle truppe americane in Irak non limiterebbe le opzioni militari di Washington in nessuna area. NYT 05-05-03
Pentagon Says
By THOM SHANKER
ASHINGTON, May 2 – The concentration of American troops and weapons in
The officer, Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, informed Congress in a classified report that major combat operations elsewhere in the world, should they be necessary, would probably be more protracted and produce higher American and foreign civilian casualties because of the commitment of Pentagon resources in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A half dozen Pentagon civilian and military officials were discussing the outlines of the report on Monday as it was being officially delivered to Congress; one government official provided a copy to The New York Times. The officials who discussed the assessment demanded anonymity because it is a classified document.
General Myers cited reduced stockpiles of precision weapons, which were depleted during the invasion of
The report this year acknowledges that the nation’s armed forces are operating under a higher level of risk than cited in the report last year, said Pentagon and military officials who have read both documents.
Despite the limitations, General Myers was unwavering in his assessment that American forces would win any major combat operation. The armed forces, he concluded, are “fully capable” of meeting all
The general’s report appears to provide a slightly different assessment than President Bush offered at a news conference last week when he said the number of American troops in
Mr. Bush said he had asked General Myers, “Do you feel that we’ve limited our capacity to deal with other problems because of our troop levels in
“And the answer is no, he didn’t feel a bit limited,” Mr. Bush said. “It feels like we got plenty of capacity.”
Late Monday, a Pentagon official dismissed any serious contradiction between the president and the general. “The two comments are consistent in that no one in the military feels at all limited in the ability to respond to any contingency,” the official said. “What the risk assessment discusses is the nature of the response.”
Another Pentagon official emphasized that the risk assessment should be understood as a rating of the military’s ability to successfully perform its mission based on a set of standards set by the Joint Staff, which is different from the broad statement of military capability given by the president at his news conference.
In the report, General Myers wrote, the military faces “moderate” risk in its mission to protect the United States , and he assessed the risk for preventing conflict – including surprise attack – as “moderate, but trending toward significant.”
Though the general wrote that the military forces “will succeed in any” major combat operation, he added that “they may be unable to meet expectations for speed or precision as detailed in our current plans.”
The annual “Chairman’s Risk Assessment,” which is required by Congress, warned that additional major combat operations “may result in significantly extended campaign timelines, and achieving campaign objectives may result in higher casualties and collateral damage.”
The classified assessment is a formal acknowledgment by General Myers, who serves as the senior military adviser to both President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, of a series of strains: those placed on military personnel by large and lengthy overseas deployments; those placed on weapons and vehicles by wear and tear; and those placed on war planners trying to counter potential adversaries even though forces previously committed to such places as South Korea are now engaged elsewhere.
Even so, the assessment notes steps already under way to mitigate this risk, and concludes that at the broadest global and strategic levels, the risk “is significant, but trending lower.”
The half-dozen senior officials who discussed the chairman’s assessment seemed motivated at least in part by concerns that its findings might be misinterpreted by adversaries as an admission of vulnerability, and be seen as an invitation to adventurism that could lead to war.
In case of armed conflict, “There is no doubt what the outcome would be,” said one senior official. “But it may not be as pretty,” said another.
The assessment acknowledges the important role played by the demonstration of American military resolve in deterring adversaries.
“Our ability to manage the perceptions of our adversaries is critical,” General Myers wrote. “Our nation’s steadfast resolve has been demonstrated by our actions in
This in itself is a strong deterrent and should serve to restrain” the actions of adversaries, he wrote.
General Myers noted that the American military does not face “extreme risk,” the highest level, in any of the categories analyzed in the report. Among the steps he listed as being in progress were substantial improvements in coordinating military efforts with civil authorities, who are “playing a critical role in disrupting potential terrorist attacks against the
Overseas, terrorist sanctuaries have been reduced and the Navy and Air Force have shown they can quickly deploy weapons and personnel to deter adversaries. One example cited by General Myers was the decision to move heavy bombers from bases in the
At the same time, the military has learned how to better “maintain and sustain a campaign level of effort” through the mission in Iraq , and the Army in particular is reorganizing its forces to create more units that can be deployed. But even though adjustments to the organization of the active and reserve components, and the Army’s overall restructuring, will eventually correct shortfalls in deployable troop strength, “this will take several more years to complete,” the assessment states. At present, there are about 138,000 American troops in
In an upbeat final paragraph, General Myers told Congress that the armed forces “remain the most professional, best trained, and best equipped military in the world.
“Our ability to project power, anywhere in the world, remains second to none,” he added. “The dedication, commitment, and sacrifice of the men and women of our Armed Forces ensure success in every challenge.”
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company