Iowa Public Television

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  Program: Iowa Press #3506
  Broadcast Date: Oct. 12, 2007
  

• Collection: Iowa Press: The Presidential Candidates

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Senator John McCain talks about the size of the military, recruitment, and private contractors in Iraq.

This interview took place on October 12, 2007, at Iowa Public Television.

www.iptv.org/campaign08

Henderson: Let's veer back to Iraq. There are concerns being raised about Blackwater, a private firm that's providing security in Iraq. Do you share the concerns that Iraqi government officials have raised?

McCain: I share the concern and I think it needs to be reviewed as to what their rules of engagement are, what their behavior is, who controls them, et cetera. But I would think it's important to point out that the reason why they are there is because we never had enough troops. We never had enough boots on the ground, so they're carrying out responsibilities that normally American military would be carrying out. So I have to lay part of the responsibility for the situation, or significant part of it, back on the previous failed strategy of the President's and Rumsfeld's.

Henderson: So what should be done? Do you think more troops?

McCain: We're not going to have more troops. I'd love to see -- I wish we had the size of army and marine corps and guard that we could send more troops, although I rely on General Petraeus's estimate and judgment that we now not only have enough but we're able to get back down to previous numbers. He's much more expert to make that judgment than I am. But I think that we have to now tighten up on the rules, regulations, accountability, et cetera.
You know, many of these "Blackwater" -- there are many contractors -- are guarding Iraqi government officials. If you want to remove them, who's going to provide for their security? But it's sad and it's tragic that these things are happening.

Borg: I want to go back and pick up something you just said: I wish we had enough army, marines, air force and so on, navy, to do what we need to do; I think that's to finish without your words. You said you want to rebuild trust. Whether or not you get the nomination and move on to the presidency or whether you're on the armed services committee, do you think that the American people have the trust now that will be necessary that you've alluded to, to rebuild the military?

McCain: Yeah, and I think it's important to appreciate. This is the best, most professional, best-trained, bravest military, in my view, we've ever had in history. They're doing things that are remarkable. A couple of months ago and even now, they're going out in 130-, 135-degree heat, putting on 40 pounds of body armor, another 40 pounds of equipment, and they're doing magnificently. The problem is there's not enough of them.

Borg: How will you get more?

McCain: Recruit them. The Marine Corps and Army is one-third smaller than they were at the time of the first gulf war, and it was an all-volunteer force. And if you accept the military's estimate and my estimate that they're the best most professional, best equipped, et cetera, then you don't want to destroy that. You just want to expand it.

Borg: But the Air Force is cutting 40,000 now just to save payroll to buy new tankers. They're going the other way.

McCain: We're going to have to spend more money. And by the way, I fought against those tankers and saved the taxpayers two billion dollars when we exposed the corruption that was going on between the Air Force and the Pentagon and Boeing on that. We need a lot better oversight, and we can save a whole lot of money by procurement reform. We just had a small ship that was supposed to cost $160 million. They spent $400 million on it and then scrapped it. And that's a, guess what, a cost plus contract. In the days of Ronald Reagan, we had fixed cost contracts. Now it's completely out of control. But in final answer to your question, it's a marketplace out there. We can recruit enough young men and women who will serve in an all-volunteer force, and we don't need to go back to a draft, in my view.

Henderson: Do you think that troop levels should be pre-Gulf War again?

McCain: I do. I think that we are facing a long war in Afghanistan. I think Iraq will require our attention for quite some period of time. When I look at the flashpoints around the world, whether it be in our own hemisphere or other parts of the world, I think we need an Army, Marine Corps roughly that size. But now, is exactly that mission? No. We've got to have the kind of people who are trained in civil affairs, intelligence, Special Forces, those kinds of things. We have to refocus the army and reorganize it and the Marine Corps to meet the new kinds of warfare we're in.

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Post Date: June 4, 2008