Harper’s Index for August 2005 (Harpers.org):
Number of new U.S. soldiers the Army would need in 2006 to replenish ranks abroad : 80,000[U.S. Army Recruiting Command (Fort Knox, Ky.)]
Percentage of this goal it expects to meet : 9.9[U.S. Army Recruiting Command (Fort Knox, Ky.)]
Number of Iraqi troops that have been “trained and equipped,” according to President Bush in April : 150,000[White House (Washington)]
Number that the U.S. military considers ready to deploy independently : 1,500
So we’re 90% undermanned on US troops and 99% undermanned on Iraqi troops. This is what “mission accomplished” looks like?
Seriously, what will be the legacy of this mess? It may stabilize in 5 or 10 years — largely driven by how soon the US forces are withdrawn — but in the meantime, how much bloodshed will there be? And all so avoidable.
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