Defense debate must recognize tough realities.

• Author: Farrell, Lawrence P., Jr.
• Position: PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

What has passed lately for important political debate at the national level has been more focused on rhetorical back-and-forth than real treatment of critical issues.

And a paramount issue that deserves national attention is the work our military forces are doing in the global war on terrorism, and what they are telling us about their needs for resources--be it equipment, technology, people or training.

A quick look at the facts paints a picture of a competent force that is working hard against a tough enemy, while confronting daunting challenges on the battlefield. Our Army has around 615,000 troops in active status. About 137,000 of those are at war. And close to 40 percent are deployed overseas. Many of these troops are rotating into combat every 15 to 19 months. The Army's goal is to set a predicable schedule for active-duty soldiers to deploy every three years, and for the Guard and Reserves to deploy only once every six years. The Army has a modularity initiative that will help realize these goals, but that will take some time to fully mature.

The Marine Corps, for its part, has more than 30,000 troops deployed to war from a force size of nearly 180,000.

Although the Air Force and Navy are not as stressed, one has only to look back at the approximately 12 years of air patrols over Iraq--between 1991 and 2003. During that time, many Air Force units performed seven to 10 tours of duty in the "sand box." Air wings aboard Navy carrier battle groups can claim a comparable number of tours.

The need for a national discussion on the state of our military was highlighted by Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz, head of the U.S. Transportation Command. In presentations to recent NDIA conferences in Miami and Atlanta, Schwartz made insightful observations on this topic. One of his points, in particular, stuck with me. He described Americans, in general, as "a good and decent people" who are largely disconnected from the realities of military service.

That is something we all feel down in our gut, but rarely say. It reminds us of the courageous, selfless, patriotic young men and women who represent this "good and decent people" on the battlefields of the world. And we are in a fight that will likely continue in some form or another for many years. If our forces are stressed now, the strain is not likely to let up any time soon.

In the defense industry, specifically, there is a clear need for long-term thinking and careful planning. The current...