U.S. military capacity is stressed by the ongoing deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, so much so that in a classified report to Congress, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the Pentagon’s ability to deal swiftly with any new conflicts is diminished.
Gen. Richard B. Myers said last Monday that the U.S. would ultimately prevail if combat requirements arise someplace else, but the conflict would be more protracted with a higher casualty count among the American military and foreign civilians. He also cited dwindling stockpiles of precision weapons.
With so many international uncertainties, the report provided a solemn view of the hidden cost of the current conflicts. We found it puzzling and disconcerting that President Bush says he’s not concerned.
Bush said that Myers told him “no” last week when he asked the chairman if he felt the nation’s capacity to deal with other problems was limited because of troop levels in Iraq.
“It feels like we got plenty of capacity,” Bush said. That’s not the case. It’s clearly a finite resource, and the realization of the situation by potential enemies could itself lead to some provocations and mischief-making.
The U.S. has 138,000 troops in Iraq and 18,000 in Afghanistan from a “total force” of about 2.6 million that includes 1.4 million active-duty and 1.2 million reserve and National Guard members. About 65,000 reserve and Guard members are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a separate assessment April 27, Myers said that enlisted recruiting remained strong, except for the Army, which reached only 89 percent of its goal. For reserves, only the Air Force and Marines met quotas.
Wartime dangers are a poor incentive to sign up, to be sure. So is the prospect of repeat deployment. Reservists, called away from jobs and families for extended tours, have been reluctant to re-enlist.
Should another war break out, what are the troops going to fight it with? “I am concerned with the wear and tear on our equipment, especially our vehicles,” Myers wrote. He said some vehicles are getting five years’ worth of wear per year, and combat damage is high.
Will rogue nations be emboldened by Myers’ assessments? If nations such as Iran, Syria, North Korea or the Sudan sense that the U.S. is reluctant, unwilling or unable to commit troops to a fresh conflict, it could affect the international equilibrium – that is, if there was one.
