Army leader says Scwarzkopf  'flat wrong'

By Pamela Hess

UPI

August 2, 2000

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (UPI) - Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera, the U.S.Army's top civilian official, says retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf is "just flat out wrong" about the state of the military today.

Schwarzkopf asserted in a speech Tuesday to the Republican National Convention that today's military is not as well-trained as the force that fought under him 10 years ago in the Gulf War.  He also said military forces lack proper equipment and motivation.

 Secretary Caldera dismissed the general's criticisms Wednesday, telling reporters he would "be happy to provide the data to show him that."

The active duty Army is about half the size it was during the Gulf War,which was fought by a military scaled to face a Soviet threat. But Caldera said the Army also featured a higher percentage of less educated soldiers - those who had not finished high school or who had only received an equivalency diploma.

"We both have a the highest quality force in the history of our nation and the readiness to go fight and win in any mission we would be asked to perform. So I don't think (Schwarzkopf's criticism) is a valid claim," Caldera said.

Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon Tuesday said the military under Clinton is "stronger and more supple" than it was when he took over in 1993.

"I would say it is more capable. I think that we have incorporated new technology. I think that the way we fought the air war over Yugoslavia and Kosovo last year showed how well we can operate in tough, challenging conditions. I think that the patrols over the no-fly zones, over Iraq every day, show how well we perform in conditions under fire. I'd say this is anextremely lethal, fast-moving, modern military. And I think it's well prepared to perform the tasks that the nation demands of it, and I think that's exactly what the military's been doing, Bacon said.

"I think the military has performed admirably, and it's shown itself to be well led, well trained, and well equipped," he said.