Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

Running Out of Troops

The Associated Press is reporting today that the U.S. military is, quite literally, running out of troops. From the AP synopsis posted at Raw Story: "The Army's 38 available combat units are deployed, just returning home or already tapped to go to Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere, leaving no fresh troops to replace five extra brigades that President Bush sent to Baghdad this year," Lolita C. Baldor reports for AP, based on interviews and military documents. Without enough troops to sustain current troop levels, the Pentagon will face some painful decisions if President Bush argues for a continuation of the surge. It can accelerate deployments of National Guard units, break the military's pledge to keep soldiers in Iraq for 15 months or less or reverse its commitment to give troops a year at home with their families before returning them to a war zone. "For a war-fatigued nation and a Congress bent on bringing troops home, none of those is desirable," the AP reports. And neither, apparently, is welcoming gay Americans who want to serve. Nowhere in the AP article is there any mention of military commanders considering a call to Congress in support of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Statistician Gary Gates estimates that more than 40,000 lesbian and gay Americans would sign up for duty if the ban were lifted. And countless others, who quietly leave each year as their service ends rather than serve under the law, may be compelled to stay in a military that officially welcomes them. Senator Barack Obama decried the news from AP, telling reporters that "We know our troops will always answer the call to service, but we must issue that call responsibly. We need predictable rotations, we need to deploy troops at an appropriate state of readiness, and we must only send them to battle if we define their mission and define success." Senator Obama has expressed strong support for ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," too, which could go a long way in addressing some of the problems reported by AP today. - Steve Ralls

Labels: in the news, recruiting, williams institute

08-20-07