Jeb Bush Campaign Press Release - General William "Buck" Kernan: Paris is a Wake-Up Call for Rebuilding Military

In the wake of the worst terrorist attack on a Western power since Sept. 11, Americans must look to the sad state of our military. Paris is a terrible tragedy, but it is also a wake-up call.

Since 2011, President Barack Obama and Congress have cut a projected $1 trillion from the Armed Forces. The Army, in particular, has taken terrible losses. Our active duty end strength has already been reduced by 145,000 soldiers since 2012,  a number larger than the entire British Army.

What's worse is that the soldiers who do survive the hatchet will not be as well-trained or equipped as their predecessors. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the former Army chief of staff, warned "today we only have 33 percent of our brigades ready, when our sustained rate should be closer to 70 percent."

Iowans will recognize the impact of these cuts immediately. Recently it was announced that the Iowa National Guard could be deployed to Afghanistan in 2016. The Guard was once an emergency force, only to be used in time of dire national circumstances. But because our active duty Army is smaller than necessary, Guard and reserve units have been used to fill the gaps.

I was commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command on Sept. 11, 2001.  I saw how reckless military cuts during the Clinton years left us with inadequate forces to address the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. The attacks happened so quickly, we had scarce time to shift onto a wartime footing. The lack of preparedness was costly. We paid for it with too many American lives, too much time away from families, and too much risk to our national security.  Our active duty Army that deployed had to absorb 15-month tours in Iraq until we could activate and train up the Reserve forces necessary to meet wartime requirements.  Given the world-wide threats, time is not a luxury we enjoy.

Iowans in particular have a special voice in selecting a new president, and as such it is incumbent on them to pick an experienced leader. Times have grown too dangerous to fool around with an unproven commander-in-chief.   It is imperative that we have a trained and ready Army with the requisite capability and capacity to respond immediately to any threat to our national security.  We need a candidate with experience leading large organizations — so that they are ready to lead the Armed Forces — and a candidate who has a serious plan for restoring the U.S. military.

For this former Ranger and paratrooper, that candidate is Gov. Jeb Bush. This week he released a detailed plan for rebuilding the military after years of cuts by President Obama and Congress. The plan includes adding 40,000 soldiers and 4,000 new Marines. It calls for replacing aircraft that are older than the pilots that fly them. It calls for giving our bravest the best training, equipment, and leadership in the world, so that American can meet the challenges of our time — and return our country to better days of peace and prosperity.

Equally importance is placed on fixing the Department of Veteran Affairs. Governor Bush already unveiled a specific plan to fix the VA, so that those who come home to us wounded have all the care they need. Not only is this a moral imperative, but a strategic one as well. America has an all volunteer military. There is a sacred trust between the American people and those who honor us with their service. That trust has been undermined in the wake of terrible scandals at the VA. We must look seriously to those candidates who have serious policies for restoring that trust.

In the Army, young lieutenants straight out of training are assigned the heavy responsibility of leading a platoon. But the heart and soul of those units lie in the seasoned platoon sergeants, who have the experience leading troops that those young lieutenants lack.  Retention of our seasoned and combat proven senior non-commissioned officers is a readiness imperative.

That is because through the grave trials of leadership, there is simply no replacement for experience. That goes for both a sergeant and a commander-in-chief. As governor of one of the largest states in the country, with one of the largest military and veteran populations, and a purple demographic like Iowa, Jeb Bush has the leadership experience our troops crave.

It is for this reason that Iowans often see Medal of Honor recipients introducing Governor Bush at events. It is for this reason that he has the largest national veteran coalition of any candidate. It is for this reason that 25 former generals and admirals came out and endorsed him in the wake of the Paris attacks.

I am one of those generals. And I have signed on for the same reason as so many other veterans. In times of crises, America looks to experience and leadership to see us through.  Jeb Bush is that leader.

Originally Posted on the Des Moines Register