World

Benghazi General Battles It Out With Petraeus In Public

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Saagar Enjeti White House Correspondent
Font Size:

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Carter Ham publicly dissented with Ret. Army Gen. David Petraeus over the U.S. military’s state of readiness.

In a joint op-ed at The Wall Street Journal with the Brooking Institute’s Michael O’Hanlon, Petraeus asserted that “there is no crisis in military readiness.” Ham took issue with Petraeus’s claim in an op-ed for Defense One, writing that while America’s fighting forces may be ready for battle today, “it may not be true tomorrow.”

Ham famously presided over U.S. Africa Command on September 11, 2012, when four U.S. citizens died in Benghazi. Ham, who now serves as President of the Association of the U.S. Army, continued: “Today’s Army is too small to meet its national security objectives without risks, and you cannot disguise serious hurdles in trying to make things better.”

Petraeus and O’Hanlon cited large military budgets, flexible acquisition power by the U.S. military, and above average qualification tests among new military recruits, as arguments that “the current debate glosses over some of the most important facts.”

Military readiness has become a hot-button issue in the presidential race. Republican Nominee Donald Trump said in June that the U.S. armed forces “are being held together by a shoestring,” adding, “Our military has been so badly depleted.”

The Democratic National Committee emphasized in its platform the need for, “a smart, predictable defense budget that meets the strategic challenges we face.” The platform continues, “we will seek a more agile and flexible force, and rid the military of outdated Cold War-era systems.”

Ham highlighted what he saw as the need for a 1 million man army, an increase in maintenance funding, and personnel policies which boost institutional morale. Ham believes, “these issues of military preparedness are getting insufficient attention in the current political discourse.”

Follow Saagar Enjeti on Twitter

Send tips to saagar@dailycallernewsfoundation.org

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.