Troops Talk Back

In a meeting with U.S. troops in Kuwait yesterday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld got an earful as some soldiers' discontent came to a head.

"Our vehicles are not armored," one said. Others complained about "antiquated" equipment and not getting paid.

Did the servicemen who spoke up at the meeting represent many in their ranks or was it "a very standard event," as Secretary Rumsfeld's office termed it?

Hear a discussion about the growing frustration in the ranks of U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and the reasons behind their discontent.

Guests:

Mark Mazetti, covers the Pentagon for The Los Angeles Times;

Ann Garrels, senior foreign correspondent for National Public Radio;

General (Ret.) William Nash, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, commanded armored brigade in Operation Desert Storm and led U.S. troops into Bosnia after the Dayton accords, former regional U.N. administrator in Kosovo;

Col. (Ret.) Gary Anderson, adjunct fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, served as commander at every level from platoon to surveillance and reconnaissance group, including command of Camp Hansen on Okinawa.