How long would it take to move the troops home if we decided we needed them HERE?

[hedgehog]

I can't believe two senators saying with a straight face that it'll take a year to withdraw from Iraq. It took Patton only 48 hours to move the 3rd Army from fighting in Sothern France to the Battle of the Bulge. Set up a couple landing strips and get those people out NOW!

[madrchsod]

1. it depends what they want to leave behind

and how they are going to move the troops to kuwait

[leftofthedial]

2. 4 weeks

but that's misleading

some could be home in hours

more in days

many in a week

loads of troops in a couple of weeks

their equipment, on the other hand . . .

[sanskritwarrior]

3. What is the transport capacity

of Military Airlift Command????

Here's a hint, it ain't anywhere near 160,000 in a month.......more like 30,000.........

[leftofthedial]

5. If the fascists can commandeer the Bill of Rights

United Airlines won't be any problem

[sanskritwarrior]

6. So who's flights do we cancel to

make your pipe dream reality........

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. You might be surprised how fast you could round up several hundred chartered aircraft.

And a dozen or so chartered cruise ships. Wouldn't take long at all. Money talks.

[sanskritwarrior]

8. Again tell me whose flight we cancel

and which units come first.......

What a pipe dream.........

:eyes:

[A HERETIC I AM]

10. Only yours. Here are just 4 of the dozens of major players in commercial aircraft leasing & charter

http://www.aircraft-charter-world.com/
http://www.aircharternet.com/commercialcharter.htm
http://www.gecas.com/
http://www.aviationworldservices.com/

It isn't a necessary to cancel a scheduled flight in order to send an airplane somewhere. I am quite sure that within a week or ten days, the military could have at it's disposal quite a few large passenger aircraft with no disruption in scheduled services. Within 3 weeks the likes of KLM, British Air, American and the other major carriers of the world could rearrange aircraft allocation to supply more than enough aircraft to get the job done.

It strikes me as odd that instead of looking for a solution to or answering the question posed, you are most concerned on how such an operation would effect YOU and others flying commercially.

If you think that every single airworthy passenger transport in the world is solidly booked every second of every day forever, then you do not understand how the leasing and charter businesses work.

[sanskritwarrior]

11. LOL

After December I'm going to be one of those soldiers on the ground in Iraq.........

The plan is not feasible as it disrupts civilian worldwide airline traffic and that is not something the world will accept.........

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. I know you have been in the military for quite a while. It surprises me you stick to this

dubious claim that "The plan is not feasible as it disrupts civilian worldwide airline traffic and that is not something the world will accept........."

Well....Bullshit. Like i said above, money talks. If an airline is making $100,000 a day (or whatever) on an airplane and you offer them $150,000 a day, they would be at your door faster than you could say "Fly me out of Baghdad". You are entitled to your own opinion. Just not your own facts. Business is business and KLM, British Air, Qantas, and any other airline in the world you can think of that operates jumbo's will charter you planes with very little lead time. Not their entire fleet, certainly but they will absolutely make aircraft available, complete with flight crews.

I won't boor you with the same tired and overused platitudes to "Stay safe" and "keep your head down" regarding your upcoming deployment. I know you have it knocked there, lifer.

[sanskritwarrior]

14. It is not a feasible plan to strand however many thousands of people

worldwide to evacuate us.......Do it in stages over a year and do it the right way accounting for all gear as well as an ORDERLY withdrawal........

[leftofthedial]

9. it's not my pipe dream

it is a response to the OP

if there were an emergency redeployment back to the US, it could be accomplished fairly quickly, certainly not a year

I don't give a runny shit whose flights they cancel

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. Airlift some out.

drive the rest to kuwait and book commercial flights.

[KillCapitalism]

4. Good question. We need a good # of troops that could respond immediately.

I think that need would mostly arise in the form of a serious disaster. Imagine if the New Madrid fault were to let loose with multiple 8.0 earthquakes again like it did in 1811-1812. We would need thousands of national guard troops available for emergency services.