The U.S. Army is showing growing signs of strain as it tries to sustain troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan, including stress on soldiers, lower unit readiness, equipment shortfalls and money worries. According to Reuters, the Army, largest of the military services, has provided most of the ground forces in the 3-1/2-year-old Iraq war and 5-year-long Afghanistan war.
Many soldiers are facing second and third deployments. U.S. military leaders had expected lower U.S. troop levels in Iraq by now, but have been scrambling to sustain higher totals because of violence. No significant cuts are expected until at least the middle of next year.
In the past two months, the Pentagon has extended two brigades of nearly 4,000 soldiers each beyond their scheduled departure date from Iraq -- which can undermine morale and upset families at home. Army officials also said they might need to turn more to part-time National Guard soldiers for future rotations.
Source: IRIB
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