Honor America’s National Guard by ending unnecessary deployments

The war in the Middle East has come home for the family. three young soldiers, Sergeant William Rivers, Special Corp. Kennedy Sanders, Spc. Breonna Moffett is the latest victim of a U.S. Army Reserve member killed in Jordan in January. The three were assigned to engineer companies and were responsible for combat support, not necessarily in combat roles.

I am well aware that this is a dangerous reality of serving in the reservists under current foreign policy.

After a short stint in the Marine Corps, I re-enlisted and joined the National Guard. This was a chance to continue serving my country, albeit part-time. I hope that in the future, when I go to university and get a regular job, I will have a training schedule of “one weekend a month, two weeks a year,” as the job advertisement said. Ta.

But September 11, 2001 changed everything. What I had foreseen as a small peacetime Guard effort turned into multiple operations and two combat deployments.

The scope and scale of the global war on terror meant that all active-duty military, National Guard, and reservists were suddenly available for deployment in an “all-out war.” Thousands of Guard and Reserve veterans have shared stories of how they expected a part-time career, only to find themselves sent to combat zones.

Of course, when we join the military, we know there is a possibility of war, and we are ready to go to war. But U.S. foreign policy over the past 23 years has created a dependence on security and reserve resources that Congress never intended.

I always grieve the loss of my fellow service members, especially those in the Guard and Reserve. Like many people, I wonder what the national security objectives were that put them at such risk in Jordan.

For decades, U.S. troops have been deployed to Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries around the world to support vague missions with no clear exit strategy. Over 7,000 men and women they lost their lives More than 30,000 veterans of conflicts since 9/11 have died by suicide in their homes.

I have lost good friends to both combat and suicide, each in a unique but heartbreaking way.

These are the costs of America’s combat-first foreign policy. Although the number of America’s sons and daughters stepping up to serve has declined, we still send them into unnecessary danger, and many return home in flag-draped coffins. come. Meanwhile, President Biden, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and foreign policy elites have little to say other than the banal “Thank you for your service.”

There are real ways to thank those who have contributed. There are meaningful ways to honor Sgt. River and SPC. Saunders and Moffett. And there is a clear path forward to ensure that troops like theirs do not continue to be exposed to unnecessary risks.

The US government needs to redeploy troops from Iraq, Syria, and the Middle East to more strategic locations. Risky overseas assignments should be reserved for times, locations, and assignments that can ensure safety at home. Many current deployments in the Middle East do not meet these standards, leaving these countries’ militaries vulnerable to attacks by Iranian-backed militias. We must stop giving Iran and her proxies unnecessary influence that endangers our military.

The United States has the most powerful military in the world. Our strengths, combined with the nature of combat in the Middle East, create the ability to use over-the-horizon capabilities to attack America’s adversaries.

Sending troops should be a last resort, not a first resort.

Congress needs to begin debating and voting on deployments and overseas operations, as well as constitutional responsibilities. The White House legitimizes current operations in Iraq and Syria through a 2002 authorization to use military force, originally targeted against Saddam Hussein. Just over a tenth of current members of Congress voted for the AUMF, meaning it is highly outdated and does not reflect the will of the American people in 2024.

Now is the time for Congress to speak up, do its duty, hold the president accountable, and encourage the president to deploy the military through Congress, not around Congress.

Our military community is remembering three soldiers who did their duty but should never have been sent on a mission in the first place. To honor their deaths, we must redeploy troops from Iraq and Syria without delay and rethink American foreign policy to end overreliance on National Guard and Reserve forces. be.

john burns He is a senior advisor to the United States Veterans Affairs and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and Army National Guard.