U.S. military stretched dangerously thin by war: poll

[UpInArms]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has been stretched dangerously thin by the Iraq war, according to almost 90 percent of retired and current military officers polled on the state of America's armed forces.

Eighty percent said it would be unreasonable to expect the U.S. military to wage another major war successfully at this time, according to the poll by the Center for a New American Security think tank and Foreign Policy magazine.

More than 3,400 serving and retired officers took part in the poll, organizers said. Around 90 percent were retired officers, a large majority had combat experience and about 10 percent had served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The findings reflect concerns expressed publicly, although usually in less stark terms, by top U.S. military officers, who say frequent long deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have put great stress on both troops and equipment.

"We are putting more strains on the all-volunteer force than it was ever designed to bear," Army Lt. Col. John Nagl, a prominent counterinsurgency expert, said at a panel discussion in Washington on Tuesday to announce the results of the survey.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1930361920080219

[Ian David]

1. 90% of our troops don't support the troops! n/t

[w8liftinglady]

2. Include my dad and his buds at the VFW.It almost brings my dad to tears.

My dad,Lifer in the Air Force,Eisenhower Republican.Hates everything this administration has done to his country.Will NEVER vote Republican again.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

3. We're putting more strain on Bush's brain then it was meant to

bear. What a waste. Peace be with us soon.

[halobeam]

4. what are our candidates positions on

the back door draft? On building a larger voluntary military, of course not for Iraq: because they are talking about political solutions and downsizing our troops there, to eventually bring them all (combat) home? On a draft itself?

I haven't heard them. I've read about their foreign policy.

[Supersedeas]

5. who cares...the neo-cons have an empirialist agenda that McCain will extend