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US Army under stress
from long wars
Washington—U.S. soldiers are committing suicide at record levels,
young officers are abandoning their military careers, and the heavy
use of forces in Iraq has made it harder for the military to fight
conflicts that could arise elsewhere.
Unprecedented strains on the nation’s all-volunteer military are
threatening the health and readiness of the troops.
While the spotlight Wednesday was on congressional hearings with the
U.S. ambassador and commanding general for Iraq, Army Vice Chief of
Staff Gen. Richard Cody was in another hearing room explaining how
troops and their families are being taxed by long wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and the prospect of future years of conflict in the
global war on terror.
“That marathon has become an enduring relay and our soldiers
continue to run — and at the double time,” Cody said. “Does this
exhaust the body and mind of those in the race, and those who are
ever present on the sidelines, cheering their every step? Yes. Has
it broken the will of the soldier? No.”
And it’s not just the people that are facing strains.
Military depots have been working in high gear to repair or rebuild
hundreds of thousands of pieces of equipment — from radios to
vehicles to weapons — that are being overused and worn out in harsh
battlefield conditions. The Defense Department has asked for $46.5
billion in this year’s war budget to repair and replace equipment
damaged or destroyed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Both the Army and Marine Corps have been forced to take equipment
from non-deployed units and from pre-positioned stocks to meet needs
of those in combat — meaning troops at home can’t train on the
equipment.
National Guard units have only an average of 61 percent of the
equipment needed to be ready for disasters or attacks on the U.S.,
Missouri Democrat Ike Skelton lamented at Wednesday’s hearing of the
House Armed Services Committee.
Cody and his Marine counterpart, Gen. Robert Magnus, told the
committee they’re not sure their forces could handle a new conflict
if one came along.
The Pentagon and Congress have worked in recent years to increase
funding, bolster support programs for families, improve care for
soldiers and Marines and increase the size of both forces to reduce
the strain. Cody said the U.S. must continue the investment,
continue to support its armed forces and have an “open and honest
discussion” about the size of military that is needed for today’s
demands.
An annual Pentagon report this year found there was a significant
risk that the U.S. military could not quickly and fully respond to
another outbreak elsewhere in the world. The classified risk
assessment concluded that long battlefield tours in Iraq and
Afghanistan, along with persistent terrorist activity and other
threats, are to blame.
The review grades the armed services’ ability to meet the demands of
the nation’s military strategy — which would include fighting the
current wars as well any potential outbreaks in places such as North
Korea, Iran, Lebanon or China.
Similarly, a 400-page January report by the independent Commission
on the National Guard and Reserves found the force isn’t ready for a
catastrophic chemical, biological or nuclear attack on this country,
and National Guard forces don’t have the equipment or training they
need for the job. Strain on individuals has been repeatedly
documented.
It contributes to the difficulty in getting other Americans to join
the volunteer military. The Army struggles to find enough recruits
each year and to keep career soldiers.
Thousands more troops each year struggle with mental health problems
because of the combat they’ve seen. The lengthening of duty tours to
15 months from 12 a year ago also has been blamed for problems as
has the fact that soldiers are being sent back for two, three or
more times.
President Bush will announce on Thursday that the length of tours
will go back to 12 months for Army units heading to war after Aug.
1, defense officials said Wednesday. Some 27 percent of soldiers on
their third or fourth combat tours suffered anxiety, depression,
post-combat stress and other problems, according to an Army survey
released last month. That compared with 12 percent among those on
their first tour.
In Afghanistan a range of mental health problems increased, and 11.4
percent of those surveyed reported suffering from depression.—AP
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