During a press conference at the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that despite his concerns about stop-loss, a retention technique where military members who are scheduled to retire or discharge are not allowed to do so, it has proven necessary in the current conflicts. He says that he expects with continued draw downs in Iraq, that the number of stop-loss cases will be reduced. (0:58)

 

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During a press conference at the Pentagon Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says that despite a desire by the Commandant of the Marine Coprs, General James Conway, to move Marines into Afghanistan, additional deployments of Marines or other additional troops depend on the force levels in Iraq. (0:40)

 

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Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen briefed the press at the Pentagon. The made a brief opening statement about how May is Military Appreciation Month and then took questions.

Gates stressed that there is no plan to extend the tour of the 3,400 Marines currently in Afghanistan. He said that “no one has suggested even the possibility of extending that rotation and I’d be loath to do that.” Mullen followed up that further additions of Marines to Afghanistan are “very much tied to troop levels in Iraq.” Gates said that a transition for the Marines from Iraq to Afghanistan “should it occur would be very challenging.”

On Myanmar the Secretary said that the Essex Strike Group has been offloading helicopters in Thailand where drops of supplies could be available in Myanmar within hours. The rest of the naval assets in the region have begun to head toward Myanmar in the even that the U.S. military is granted access to give aid. Both the secretary and the admiral stressed that under no circumstances would the U.S. move in without the permission of the Myanmar government. “The tragedy is compounded by the fact that if you look at what our Navy was able to do both with the tsunami and the Pakistani earthquake there is an opportunity here to save a lot of lives and we are fully prepared to help and help right away, it would be a tragedy if these assets, people didn’t take advantage of them.” Gates emphasized that the U.S. offer to help is totally non-political.

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Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) expressed opposition today to supplemental funding for the Iraq war. Waters was supported by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) as well as the Progressive Democrats of America, who all stressed opposition to the supplemental funding and said they would not support it.

Waters and others stressed the fact that Congress needs to send a strong message to the President and the American people that they are serious about getting our troops out of Iraq and will not approve any legislation which gives one more dime to the Iraq war unless it is for the redeployment of American troops.

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Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell says that unless Congress acts to pass the $108 billion FY2008 global war on terror supplemental legislations the Army payroll account will run out and soldiers could go without pay. (0:20)

 

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Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell says that before the Defense Department can consider adding forces in Afghanistan the forces must be reduced below 15 brigade combat teams in Iraq. (0:46)

 

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Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell briefed the press, starting with a statement about the Global War on Terror budget supplemental request, which is slated to go before the House this week. He said that currently the military is borrowing form Army payroll accounts in order to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and that if the Congress does not act the the Defense Department will not be able to pay soldier, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan after June 15, 2008. He said the only options available if Congress does not pass $108 billion in war supplementals would be for the Defense Department to petition Congress to allow certain “re-programming” of other funds so that soldiers don’t’ go without pay.

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Briefer: Scott Stanzel

President’s Schedule

This morning the President and Mrs. Bush did an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America. Later today, the President will participate in a photo opportunity with Uno the Beagle, winner of the Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club.
Tonight, The President and Mrs. Bush will host a social dinner tonight in honor of Cinco the Mayo.

Deputy Press Secretary Scott Stanzel will brief the press at 12.30 pm today.

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By Meredith MacKenzie

I was born on Hahn AFB in Germany during the Cold War. I was baptized by an Air Force chaplain. For most of my life my father has been an F-16 Fighter pilot and my mother the most understanding and enduring of military spouses. All of my father’s friends went by names like “Fuzz,” “Mad Dog,” and “Chairman.” I have waited at an airport many times with that “Welcome Home Daddy!” sign. I understand every phrase from military life from “hurry up and wait” to the alphabet soup of TDY and the SOP and I will never forget the ROE my dad made me sign in order to get my learner’s permit.

As an Air Force brat, I thought that I understood America’s military. I mean, I come from a military family, the military helped pay for my education, my favorite college team (after my alma mater, of course) is the Fighting Falcons. But being on the ground, on base, even my own failed attempt to join AFROTC in college, could not have prepared me for getting to know the Department of Defense all over again.

As the TRNS Pentagon correspondent I had the chance over the last week to travel with the Secretary of Defense to Mexico City, Ft. Bliss, Texas, and the largest Army vehicle depot in the country at Texarkana. It was my first time traveling with a government entourage and I want to tell my fellow citizens that there is no better way to travel. I imagine that only the President or the Secretary of State travel in more style than Secretary Gates.

It was the contrast between our great accommodations (which the journalists themselves pay for) and the convenience of riding in a police escorted motorcade and the drab brown surroundings of Ft. Bliss that stuck out to me. I thought I knew what military life was about– turns out that I know military life in an officer’s family. My family has never had to live on base, my father has never had a 15-month hardship deployment, and he certainly has never had three of them.

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Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) discusses the implications of allowing Iraqi refugees to come to the United States at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. (0:44)

 

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