Nine in 10 officers said the war had stretched the ­military “dangerously thin”

[babylonsister]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eb734b9e-de59-11dc-9de3-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

US army ‘stretched thin’ by Iraq war

By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington

Published: February 18 2008 22:09 | Last updated: February 18 2008 22:09


The Iraq war has strained the US military to the extent that America could not fight another large-scale war today, according to a new survey of military officers.

Nine in 10 officers said the war had stretched the ­military “dangerously thin”. However, 56 per cent disagreed with the suggestion that the conflict had “broken” the armed services, while 64 per cent said morale was high.

More than 3,400 current and retired officers, including more than 200 generals and admirals, participated in the survey by Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for a New American Security, a centrist think-tank.

The results underscore the concerns of officers about the strain that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have placed on the military. Of respondents, 60 per cent said the military was weaker today than five years ago.

The results of the independent survey come as the Pentagon debates whether to pause the reduction of forces in Iraq, or whether to make further cuts to ease the stress on the military. The Pentagon is unwinding the “surge” by reducing the number of combat brigades to the pre-surge level of 15, which would leave about 130,000 troops in Iraq by the summer.

more...

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eb734b9e-de59-11dc-9de3-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

[tekisui]

1. Goddamn this war.

We are facing a serious situation. This war or choice/aggression/profit could be our undoing. What the hell are we going to do when we have a true threat or a real reason to fight?

[babylonsister]

2. I agree totally; we're at a critical state with no end in sight, all to

try to preserve the dimson's 'legacy'. We are screwed if anything happens in/to this country.

[gratuitous]

3. Stretched dangerously thin, but morale is high

So stay the course. Wouldn't want to do anything un-military, like mutiny against the madman who put you in this situation. How fucked up can this situation be?

[babylonsister]

4. I don't know about morale; the majority of soldiers are giving

campaign contributions to Ron Paul and Barack Obama, both anti-war candidates. That tells me something...

And yes, it's beyond fucked up, but we've been saying that for years.