Service chiefs say troops 'stressed' by mounting demands

The strain on U.S. armed forces from the war on terrorism and the looming conflict with Iraq was a primary issue in the appearance Tuesday of the four service chiefs before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

All of the military leaders said their forces were more than ready for combat than at any time in their careers. Then, when pressed by Armed Services Chairman Warner and Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., they all conceded their troops were "stressed" by the mounting operational demands.

But only Gen. Eric Shinseki, the Army chief of staff who is four months from retiring, made a strong case for additional personnel. Shinseki particularly noted the heavy and consistent demand being placed on the National Guard and Reserves.

"We're going to them far more frequently than we expected," he said. "After these set of contingencies are over, we are going to need to re-evaluate" the distribution of duties between active and reserve forces.

Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval operations, and Gen. John Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, joined Shinseki in noting the particular stress on their force protection personnel and on their small special operations forces.

The Army is working to add about 1,800 special operations personnel this year. Clark said the demands on his SEALs and other naval special warfare personnel "is significant. I think we're going to see a need to expand."

Gen. Michael Hagee, Marine Corps commandant, did not make an appeal for additional troops. But he urged Congress to act quickly when President Bush submits a request for supplemental funding to cover the worldwide contingencies.

"Our contingency requirements are substantial. They exceed the funds available," Hagee said.

The White House is expected to seek at least $20 billion within months to pay for the additional military operations in the war on terrorism and for the massive troop deployment for a possible war with Iraq.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., expressed his concern about the administration's low-key response to the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

After the nation worked to build "a two-war military, we have an administration with a one-war attention span," Kennedy said.

Armed Services ranking member Carl Levin, D-Mich., who has been a vocal opponent of the administration's march to war in Iraq, said Iraqi officials should have no doubt that if conflict erupts "we will provide our men and women in uniform everything they need to prevail."

Levin asked the chiefs their opinion of proposals by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to make the joint staff report to him, instead of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The chiefs all claimed not to be aware of the proposals. Shinseki spoke against Rumsfeld's proposal.