Oliver L. North: To the 118th Congress: Welcome Aboard. Now Get to Work – Part II
My thanks to faithful readers — pro and con — for reminding me I am not a prophet. I predicted last week that the new Congress would be led by a new Speaker of the House. “sworn-in” January 3, 2013: Republican majority in House of Representatives Oops!
It took an unprecedented 15 ballots to elect Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House of Representatives — and second in line to the presidency of the United States. There has been an almost endless stream of events since then. “reporters,” We have been questioned by pundits and commentators about how this extended process will affect the Republican Party’s ability to control the course events over the next two years.
All this talk is pointless. What Congress does to quickly repair our national security is the most important thing.
Communist China is our No. 1 adversary. Xi Jinping’s aim of global dominance is supported and encouraged by Vladimir Putin, Iran’s Ayatollahs, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and a few lesser despots such as Bashar Hafez Al-Assad in Syria. They are our greatest threat of war together.
The armed forces of our nation exist to prevent war and win when we are forced to fight. Priority No. 1 must be to improve the military’s readiness. 1, for our new Congress. A piece by Caitlin Kenney entitled Defense One is proof of our inability to be ready. “‘We Should Have Been There’: Marine General Laments the State of the Amphib Navy,” It should chill every member. As China continues to increase its Navy size and sophistication, the Navy is in serious trouble.
In order to protect the vital interests of Ukraine, the Joint Chiefs of Staff urged Russia to invade Ukraine in February 2022. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also explored the possibility of early deployment of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. “contingency forces.” The Marines were available, willing, and able to assist. There were not enough U.S. Navy amphibious boats to transport the Marines with their equipment.
This exposes a serious weakness in our national defense, and it bodes for a very dangerous future. Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, a sworn witness, stated that the Marine Corps requires at least 31 traditional amphibious vessels: 10 LHA/LHD “big-decks” 21 LPDs. This number is based upon the Navy’s Optimized Navy Response Plan, which assumes that ships are at 80% readiness.
Our Navy was home to 32 ships at the time Lt. Gen. Heckl reported to Congress. However, only 15 (47%) of these vessels were still available. When the ship returned to port in Oct 2022, the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group’s lead ship, which was assigned to transport 22nd MEUs, it was abandoned.
Due to the failed policies of the Biden regime, and its push for a WOKE agenda, the ranks of our military are shrinking in the same way that its equipment. In every branch of the U.S. army, enlistments and reenlistments are far below what is required to maintain combat readiness. More than 8,000 military personnel — many with critical military occupational specialties (MOSs) — were discharged from our armed forces for being unwilling to be injected with the experimental COVID vaccines. For successive years, this requirement has been dropped. “booster shots” and new accessions need not be inoculated — but the damage is already done.
I was able to interview scores of soldiers, sailors, marines, Guardsmen, and marines about their reasons for leaving the service. No. 1. overwhelmingly, it is “the disastrous August 2021 Afghanistan ‘Bug Out’ for which no one has ever been held accountable.”
Combat veterans also mention continued indoctrination into critical race theory by their servicemen. “Just because I’m White doesn’t make me a racist. In a gunfight nobody cares about the race or color of the guys covering our six.” Another: “Color in combat doesn’t count. All that matters is courage and competence.”
Congress must use its “power of the purse” To improve the dire state of our national security in a dangerous world. Stay tuned for more next week.
Oliver L. North is a combat-decorated U.S Marine and No.1 bestseller author. He also founded Fidelis Media LLC. Visit www.olivernorth.com to learn more. His latest book, “The Giant Awakes,” is available discounted at www.faithfultext.com.
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