Posted by Damozel | Meanwhile, Bush is still president and the war is still going on. According to this report, a survey of military officers reveals that officers believe that the US military is now stretched 'dangerously thin.' (CNN)
Of those surveyed, 88 percent believe the demands of the Iraq war have "stretched the U.S. military dangerously thin." On the other hand, 56 percent of the officers disagree that the war has "broken" the military. Eighty percent of officers believe it is unreasonable to expect the U.S. military to wage another major war successfully at present.(CNN)
Sixty percent say that the military is weaker than it was five years ago.(CNN)
This outcome is consistent with what common sense would predict. If you use resources, you eventually use them up. According to the report, "officers "see a military apparatus severely strained by the grinding demands of war."" Unsurprisingly, "more than half" the respondents think this is due to the "pace of troop deployments" needed in Iraq and Afghanistan..(CNN) Seventy-five percent (the article says 'three quarters') believe that civilians set unreasonably high goals for them to achieve.(CNN) They also think that---surge or no surge, seemingly---Iran or China is 'the strategic victor' in the Iraq War. (CNN) Hmmm.
Here's are some other findings that didn't surprise me:
The officers have "an overwhelmingly negative view" of many of the early decisions shaping the Iraq war, but most believe the present U.S. counterinsurgency strategy and troop increases are good omens for success in Iraq.
A majority of officers in the Iraq war say some policy decisions have "hindered the prospects for success there."
"These include shortening the time units spend at home between deployments and accepting more recruits who do not meet the military's standards. Even the military's ability to care for some of its own -- mentally wounded soldiers and veterans -- was judged by most officers to be substandard," the survey found....
Officers have relatively low confidence in civilian institutions -- giving the presidency a 5.5 rating and Congress 2.7. The Defense Department received 5.6, the CIA 4.7, Department of Veterans Affairs 4.5, and State Department 4.1.
"Sixty-six percent of the officers say they believe U.S. elected leaders are either somewhat or very uninformed about the military," the survey said. (CNN)
"When asked if they agree or disagree with the statement "torture is never acceptable," 53 percent agreed and 44 percent disagreed.".(CNN) Hmm again.
Larry Johnson at No Quarter ("Somebody tell McCain"):
At least Hillary and Barack appear to understand the damage that has been inflicted on our Army and Marines because of our continued presence in Iraq...
But the danger is more than our inability to fight another war. There is the danger that we are breaking the Army and Marines....
And this is just the personnel. We are not even beginning to address the need to re-equip Army Reserve and National Guard units with planes, trucks, armored personnel carriers, and Humvees. Add to this the cost of taking care of the wounded–both physical and mental–streaming out of Iraq and Afghanistan. The economic cost is enormous but is dwarfed by the human cost. Tough to put dollar signs on broken hearts, shattered minds, and tears for the dead.
Come September I suspect John McCain will be backing away from his claim that we will spend 100 years in Iraq. We won’t because we cannot afford the bill. (Read more...)
OTHER BN-POLITICS POSTINGS
Russia Denounces Kosovo's Declaration of Independence
Iraqi Guards Protest Questionable Killing of Civilians
Whistleblower Talks about Corruption, Justice Department Buries Story
Paxmo: What a Real Journalist Looks Like---Coming to BBC AmericaNext Week
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