Randy Kuhl and four of his Republican colleagues sent a letter yesterday to Defense Secretary Robert Gates opposing the Pentagon's stop-loss policy. Stop-loss extends soldiers' tours beyond the originally-announced length.
The letter addresses stop-loss for all branches of the service (guard, reserve and active-duty). In a press release, Kuhl calls the program a "hidden draft" and says
Our guardsmen and reservists sign a contract to serve the nation for a specific period of time. The nation should honor that contract by not calling up our troops for longer than the time they initially agree to serve ...
Others who signed the letter were Republican Congressmen Ramstad (MN-3), LaTourette (OH-14) and Shays (CT-4). Ramstad and LaTourette are on record opposing the surge. Shays is wishy-washy: his support depends on the fine print.
Kuhl appears to be dipping his toe into the waters of opposition. Since we don't have enough troops to escalate in Iraq without stop-loss, opposing that policy is tantamount to opposing the surge. Another Republican in the New York delegation, John McHugh (NY-23), is on record against an increase in funding for the war. McHugh's position is especially significant since his district includes Fort Drum, home of the 10th Mountain Division. Kuhl has not gone as far as McHugh. Like Shays, he may end up opposing fine points of Bush's policy without voting against it. Votes are what count, and it will be interesting to see how far Kuhl is willing to go
Text of the letter after the break:
(Source: American Chronicle story)We are writing with respect to the President's plan to surge 21,000 troops to Iraq over the coming months, and specifically how the Department of Defense (DOD) intends to provide the manpower necessary to reach this troop level.
While we may have differing views on the President's plan, we share his desire both for a successful outcome to the war in Iraq and his commitment to the brave men and women that so honorably served our nation. It is in this regard we express our deep concern DOD finds it necessary to utilize stop-loss to meet our manpower needs. As you work with the President and the branches of the military, we urge you in strongest terms to limit the use of this policy.
When soldiers deploy for a tour abroad, they and their families literally count the days until their return home. Due to a variety of reasons, we are extending tours and recapturing those who have sought to retire and leave the military. This policy harms morale, places an undue burden on the families of soldiers, and damages the military leadership's credibility. We believe this policy will harm recruitment efforts.
In addition, while DOD has utilized stop-loss frequently throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom, we noted last week's announcement by Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace that the Pentagon has abandoned its limit on the time reserve components can be required to serve on active duty. This announcement concerns us.
While our citizen-soldiers have responded admirably to their increased role in meeting our military's manpower needs, the policy change extending the cumulative time on active duty for the Iraq or Afghan war beyond 24 months betrays their trust, separates families and threatens to devastate the likelihood that active duty soldiers will follow-up their service with time serving in the Reserves.
The bottom line is our troops and their families deserve realistic estimates about the length of their deployment. If a deployment is for twelve months, then have them serve for twelve months and no longer. If it is for fifteen months, then have them serve fifteen months and no longer. We urge the Department to take all reasonable steps to reduce the number of stop-loss extensions.