Charles Skelton: “on July 5, 1950, near the city of Osan in South Korea, North Korean forces faced a battalion of American soldiers who…”

“on July 5, 1950, near the city of Osan in South Korea, North Korean forces faced a battalion of American soldiers who had been sent to stop the Korean advance. This battalion of 406 soldiers was undermanned, under-trained and poorly equipped. These soldiers fought a 7-hour battle that ended in retreat, and with 150 American infantrymen killed, wounded or missing. This battalion was known as Task Force Smith, and its failure was due to a lack of readiness on the part of our military after World War II. Today, Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that the low readiness levels of the Army and the Marine Corps are going to once again endanger our troops. Mr. Speaker, I have spoken about readiness problems before. And it continues to concern me as this situation worsens. Let me be blunt. Our ground forces and their reserves face a crisis with manpower and equipment shortages and will be challenged to complete their missions should they be called to respond to an emergency. Mr. Speaker, I have used the word ``readiness'' many times before. But I feel it necessary to clearly define its meaning. Readiness describes the condition of our military forces. It is a measure of how well they are manned, trained and equipped to complete the full range of missions necessary to defend our Nation. This is why the falling readiness levels of our Army and our Marine Corps are so disturbing.…”