The Blunted Spear II: The Army at the Breaking Point

SUMMARY

The United States Army, the most powerful fighting machine in human history, is at the precipice. After nearly seven years of abysmal stewardship by the civilians in the Bush administration, the Army is, as retired General Barry McCaffrey said last week, “on the verge of unraveling.”

General Casey told both the House and Senate Armed Service Committees that: “[T]oday’s Army is out of balance. The current demand for our forces exceeds the sustainable supply. We are consumed with meeting the demands of the current fight and are unable to provide ready forces as rapidly as necessary for other contingencies.” The enormous damage to the US Army by civilian mistakes, incompetence and shoddy planning should be a front-burner issue for the American public.

We urge Members of Congress to make fixing the Army the centerpiece of their argument for why we must get out troops out of Iraq, change direction on national security and fight a more effective war on terror.

To read this Memo, open the attached PDF