An army of the unwilling

[Dover]

An army of the unwilling
By Niko Kyriakou

NEW YORK - At the end of last month, the US Selective Service System issued a report assuring President George W Bush that it would be ready to implement a draft within 75 days. While stirring up a storm of speculation, this report may actually be the least compelling harbinger of military conscription.

Far more dire is the skyrocketing need for troops amid plummeting supply. More than 300,000 of the 482,000 soldiers in the US Army are already deployed abroad, predominantly in Iraq, Afghanistan, South Korea and the former Yugoslavia. The ratio of two soldiers abroad for every one at home is the opposite of what military strategists say is necessary to maintain a long-term deployment.

It would take 100,000 new troops at home to correct this discrepancy, but the government concedes that new troops are not coming in.

All four military services missed their enlistment quotas last year, according to one analysis, and regular military, reserve and National Guard recruitment levels are at a 30-year low.

With a lack of new troops, the Pentagon has relied heavily on rotations to maintain the 150,000-strong force in Iraq. Yet a Pentagon-funded poll in late 2003 found that 49% of troops did not plan to re-enlist, and that number is likely to be even higher now.

Without a major influx of new recruits, many observers say the option of relying on Reserves and National Guard troops is not sustainable. ..>>

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GD26Ak01.html

[freedom_to_read]

1. rumors on the internets?

[DinahMoeHum]

2. . . .the unwilling, led by the unqualified, doing the unnecessary

...for the ungrateful.

:nuke:

[bemildred]

3. a ... poll in late 2003 found that 49% of troops did not plan to reenlist

So, like, what else do you need to know ?

[carnie_sf]

4. Maybe it's time

for Cheney, Perle, Bolton, Wolfowitz etc to finally do their hitch.

[burn the bush]

5. well, one good thing is that they will never be able to control Americans

with a drafted force. I don't think people who are forced to serve will be very helpful when it comes to fighting against us here at home.