I guess this admission would qualify the military, in the words of Chris Matthews, as sounding a lot like
Osama Bin Laden.
Stretched by frequent troop rotations to Iraq and
Afghanistan, the Army has become a "thin green line" that could snap unless relief comes soon, according to a study for the Pentagon.
But to acknowledge that our war "plan" has "flaws" is tantamount to treason... isn't it? Isn't it?
More below...
The article continues (and it's a must-read):
Andrew Krepinevich, a retired Army officer who wrote the report under a Pentagon contract, concluded that the Army cannot sustain the pace of troop deployments to Iraq long enough to break the back of the insurgency. He also suggested that the Pentagon's decision, announced in December, to begin reducing the force in Iraq this year was driven in part by a realization that the Army was overextended.
As evidence, Krepinevich points to the Army's 2005 recruiting slump -- missing its recruiting goal for the first time since 1999 -- and its decision to offer much bigger enlistment bonuses and other incentives.
"You really begin to wonder just how much stress and strain there is on the Army, how much longer it can continue," he said in an interview.
Does this mean Karl Rove is planning the smear campaign against Andrew Krepinevich? Notice also that the article makes no mention that the Army missed its recruiting goals after a downward "adjustment" and after lowering the recruiting standards as well.
But because the war has lasted longer than expected, the Army has had to regularly rotate fresh units in while maintaining its normal training efforts and reorganizing the force from top to bottom.
I suppose now we'll find out how long the war was "expected" to last, yes?... Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Donald Rumsfeld, at least got the talking points, even if Mr. Krepinevich didn't...
Rumsfeld has argued that the experience of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has made the Army stronger, not weaker.
"The Army is probably as strong and capable as it ever has been in the history of this country," he said in an appearance at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington on Dec. 5. "They are more experienced, more capable, better equipped than ever before."
I guess that means the wheels will be adquately greased for our next venture... into Iran?
The article ends appropriately with the following words...
"so far the Army isn't broken"
Comforting.