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01/06/2005:

"US Army Reserve Becoming 'Broken Force," Commander Warns"

WASHINGTON - Faced with lengthy and gruelling deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan , the US army reserve is rapidly turning into "a broken force" and may not be able to meet its operational requirements in the future, its commander acknowledged in a memorandum made public.

The comments by Lieutenant General James Helmly were expected to raise new questions about the sustainability of the war in Iraq without reintroducing the draft or other forms of compulsory military service.

The United States has boosted its force in Iraq to 153,000 ahead of the country's general election scheduled for January 30.

Army reserve soldiers make up about 20 percent of the US contingent. Together with the National Guard, they constitute more than 40 percent of US ground force in the country.

Helmly's memorandum, dated December 20 and addressed to Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker, includes several recommendations on ways to address the manpower problem.

But it also contains scathing criticism of current military personnel policies and warns of dire consequences for the US military, if they are maintained.

The purpose of the memorandum, Helmly writes, is to inform top commanders "of the army reserve's inability" under current procedures "to meet mission requirements associated with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and to reset and regenerate its forces for follow-on and future missions."

The general goes on to say the danger troops would be unable to fulfill all their obligations was "grave," stressing that the 200,000-member reserve "is rapidly degenerating into a 'broken' force."
Full Article: commondreams.org