In report on Petraeus testimony, NBC's Miklaszewski ignored Vice Chief's April 1 hearing before Armed Services Committee

On the April 7 edition of NBC's Nightly News, NBC News chief Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski previewed Gen. David Petraeus' April 8 congressional testimony by reporting, among other things, that Petraeus "will tell Congress tomorrow he's still determined to withdraw all five U.S. surge combat brigades -- nearly 20,000 soldiers -- by the end of July. But Petraeus will stop there." Miklaszewski also reported: "U.S. sources tell NBC News Petraeus wants to keep some 140,000 American forces in Iraq at least through the U.S. presidential elections in November, and, depending on the level of violence, perhaps through the end of the year." Absent from Miklaszewski's report, however, was any mention of recent testimony by Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody before the Senate Armed Services Committee that "[t]oday's Army is out of balance" and that "[t]he current demand for forces in Iraq and Afghanistan exceeds our sustainable supply of soldiers, of units and equipment, and limits our ability to provide ready forces for other contingencies. Our readiness, quite frankly, is being consumed as fast as we can build it." Referring to the withdrawal of the surge combat troops, Cody added: "[W]hen these five brigades come out ... we'll still be short as we continue to rotate." Yet, to date, neither Miklaszewski nor any other reporter has mentioned* Cody's April 1 testimony on NBC's Nightly News.

During Cody's appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) asked Cody about Petraeus' upcoming report and what effect his possible "recommendation with regard to the size of the force required to continue operations in Iraq" would have on troop readiness. Cody replied by discussing how "the five-brigade surge" has affected troop and equipment readiness, and then added:

CODY: A long answer, but this is very complex in terms of when these five brigades come out, we'll have to provide all those 15-month-deployed units 12 months' dwell time minimum, which means that we'll still be short as we continue to rotate, and it may take us 15 months to get ourselves to a 12 months' boots on the ground and an 18 months' dwell time. And quite frankly, where we need to be with this force at this time is no more than 12 months boots on the ground and 24 months back at home.

Cody outlined his concerns about the current state of the military in greater detail in his April 1 prepared remarks for the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing:

CODY: Today's Army is out of balance. The current demand for our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan exceeds the sustainable supply and limits our ability to provide ready forces for other contingencies. While our Reserve Component (RC) are performing magnificently, many RC units have been assigned missions as an operational force, when they had been resourced as a strategic reserve for decades. Current operational requirements for forces and insufficient time between deployments require a focus on counterinsurgency training and equipping to the detriment of preparedness for the full range of military missions.

[...]

CODY: Given the current theater demand for Army forces, we are unable to provide a sustainable tempo of deployments for our Soldiers and Families. Soldiers, Families, support systems, and equipment are stretched and stressed by the demands of lengthy and repeated deployments, with insufficient recovery time. Equipment used repeatedly in harsh environments is wearing out more rapidly than programmed. Army support systems, designed for the pre-9/11 peacetime Army, are straining under the accumulation of stress from six years at war. Overall, our readiness is being consumed as fast as we build it. If unaddressed, this lack of balance poses a significant risk to the All-Volunteer Force and degrades the Army's ability to make a timely response to other contingencies.

From the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing:

CODY: As the secretary of the Army and the chief of staff of the Army have testified, the coming decades are likely to be ones of persistent conflict, and I agree with that assessment. To defend this nation in a dangerous and unpredictable world, the Army, as part of the joint force, must be fully prepared to conduct prompt and sustained operations across the full spectrum of conflict worldwide.

But today, our army is out of balance. The current demand for forces in Iraq and Afghanistan exceeds our sustainable supply of soldiers, of units and equipment, and limits our ability to provide ready forces for other contingencies. Our readiness, quite frankly, is being consumed as fast as we can build it.

Lengthy and repeated deployments with insufficient recovery time at home station have placed incredible stress on our soldiers and on their families, testing the resolve of the all-volunteer force like never before. And while we should be extremely proud that our men and women in uniform have proven incredibly resilient so far, we must never take their selfless service for granted.

[...]

SEN. AKAKA: Thank you very much, General McNabb.

I have a question for all of our witnesses. In General Petraeus's report to Congress next week, he is expected to make a recommendation with regard to the size of the force required to continue operations in Iraq. He may say that a force of about 140,000 troops is still required or he may indicate that the force may be reduced, but we expect to hear from him next week.

Very briefly, what are the non-deployed forces' readiness implications for each of you if the force stays about the same or if the force begins to draw down? Also, if General Petraeus recommends that forces may be reduced, what readiness objectives and actions have your services planned that will make immediate -- that will take immediate advantage of the lower operational tempo?

General Cody?

GEN. CODY: Thank you, Senator, for that question.

I'm not sure what General Petraeus is going to come back and say, but I'll try to put it in a strategic context for you in terms of the United States Army, where we are. When this surge went -- and by the way, this is about the fifth surge we've had during this war. We've surged several times for elections in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

When the five-brigade surge went in last year, that took all the stroke out of the shock absorber for the United States Army. That put 23 brigade combat teams into combat as well as into Kosovo, and we had 17 brigades back that were in reset that had already served 12-month tours. And that is why, when we put the five brigades in, we had to extend the other brigades to an additional three months per to give General Petraeus the amount of forces he needed to provide a safe and secure environment for the Iraqis and to give time, as he stated, to the Iraqi government and the Iraqi army.

So if he comes back and says a certain number will not have to be replaced, it will not be instantaneous in terms of how we will be able to reduce one, the 15-month boots-on-the-ground deployment time as well as those units that are coming back that have already served 15 months. We have to give them at least 12 months' reset time.

At the same time I say it took all the stroke out of the shock absorbers in terms of our brigade combat teams, it also forced us to issue the last of our prepositioned stocks in that area so that we could get those five brigades in there. And so over time in '06 and '07 we rebuilt two brigade combat teams' worth of equipment. We had to use that equipment to provide for the surge. And so on the backside of how many brigades come out and don't have to be replaced, we also have to turn around and reset quite a bit of equipment.

The brigades that we have today that are getting ready to deploy are all going back to either Afghanistan or Iraq. They will all have 12 months' dwell time. Many of them are at a readiness rate, in terms of equipment in an unclassified setting, of not where they need to be. In the training area, as Senator Thune had mentioned, they are training solely for counterinsurgency operations and focusing on the mission of the brigade they're replacing in either Iraq or Afghanistan, and they're not training to full spectrum for other operations.

In terms of their equipment, in many cases we will not be able to get them to fully up for equipment just prior to their major training exercise before they deploy, and that is the status at this time.

A long answer, but this is very complex in terms of when these five brigades come out, we'll have to provide all those 15-month-deployed units 12 months' dwell time minimum, which means that we'll still be short as we continue to rotate, and it may take us 15 months to get ourselves to a 12 months' boots on the ground and an 18 months' dwell time. And quite frankly, where we need to be with this force at this time is no more than 12 months boots on the ground and 24 months back at home.

From the April 7 edition of NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams:

BRIAN WILLIAMS (anchor): Ten Americans have been killed in Iraq over the last two days; 10 American families tonight dealing with the worst possible news. Against that backdrop, and after spiking violence in Iraq as we mentioned, General David Petraeus, the commanding general for U.S. forces there, has come to Washington this week to testify before Congress. Our own Jim Miklaszewski, at the Pentagon, has a preview tonight.

[begin video clip]

MIKLASZEWSKI: Military officials say General David Petraeus will tell Congress tomorrow he's still determined to withdraw all five U.S. surge combat brigades -- nearly 20,000 soldiers -- by the end of July. But Petraeus will stop there. U.S. sources tell NBC News Petraeus wants to keep some 140,000 American forces in Iraq at least through the U.S. presidential elections in November, and, depending on the level of violence, perhaps through the end of the year.

GEN. BARRY McCAFFREY (Retired, U.S. Army): We don't want to be there with inadequate U.S. combat power between now and the end of this administration.

MIKLASZEWSKI: Most of the 10 American soldiers killed in the past two days died in fierce fighting in Sadr City and in rocket attacks on Baghdad's green zone. The White House is concerned that Iraq not collapse into chaos in the closing days of the administration. At the Pentagon recently, President Bush himself warned against withdrawing U.S. forces too rapidly.

BUSH: The terrorists and extremists step in. They fill vacuums, establish safe havens, and use them to spread chaos and carnage.

MIKLASZEWSKI: President Bush is expected to announce later this week he's going to cut those punishing 15-month combat tours for U.S. soldiers back to one year.

[end video clip]

MIKLASZEWSKI: General Petraeus will face some tough grilling tomorrow about Iraqi security forces and that failed offensive in Basra two weeks ago. But Democrats tell us most of their fire will be aimed at the Bush administration's handling of the war. And their biggest question, how soon can more U.S. troops come home? Brian.

WILLIAMS: Jim Miklaszewski at the Pentagon for us tonight. Jim, thanks.