US Army officers turn against Bush

While it hasn’t been picked up a lot here, a friend of mine in the States tells me that the annual Military Times poll of serving US soldiers has created a bit of furore in across the Atlantic.

The Military Times is a newspaper published for the US military. It’s annual poll of subscribers is the only independent annual poll of the US armed forces and while it does not claim to be representative, it’s readership is generally seen as mostly composed of career officers with combat experience. For the first time, US officers are indicating substantial disapproval of Bush’s handling of the war.

Some of the highlights:

– Only 35 percent said they approve of the way President Bush is handling the war, while 42 percent said they disapproved. – 50 percent believe success in Iraq is likely, down from 83 percent in 2004.– 38 percent believe the United States should send more troops to Iraq. 39 percent believe we should maintain current levels or reduce the number of troops, including 13 percent who support complete withdrawal.– 72 percent believe the military is “stretched too thin to be effective.” – 47 percent disagree with President Bush’s mantra that the war in Iraq is part of the war against terrorism, while the same percentage agree. – Only 41 percent of the military said the U.S. should have gone to war in Iraq in the first place, down from 65 percent in 2003. That closely reflects the beliefs of the general population today — 45 percent agreed in a recent USA Today/Gallup poll.

– 52 percent approve of the overall job President Bush is doing, down from 71 percent in 2004.

There has also been a big decrease in the number of respondents identifying themselves as Republicans, dropping from almost 60% to 46%, though the Democrats have not gained, stagnant at 16%, with the former Republicans going Independent.

And while Bush considers sending MORE troops to Iraq, this Wall Street Journal article  (Sub may be rquired) exposes a major cash crisis in the US Army.

 

 

The cost of basic equipment for a single soldier has tripled in three years to $25,000, while the cost of paying and training a soldier has increased by 60% to about $120,000.

 

 

The other big strain is a lack of personnel. While, against all expectations, the US Army met it’s recruitment target of 80,000 soldiers for 2006, it had to spend $735 million on bonuses to persuade veterans to sign on again, up from $85 million in 2003, and an extra $300 million for general recruitment on last year.

 

 

And the quality may not be all that is desired. Over 10% of recruits required ‘waivers’ for past criminal convictions or drug use, while the number of troops who scored poorly on aptitude tests has also increased. Even more alarmingly, the US Army is currently down 3,000 active sudty officers on what it it requires, a number expected to grow to 3,700 next year. The figures are even worse for sergeants, who carry a large burden in the US Army.

 

 Both articles point to increased difficulty for the US Army in Iraq. Morale is clearly down. Troops are deploying to Iraq without sufficient training, officers or other key personnel. The cost of the war, already out of control, seems set to accelerate, with knock-on effects for the US domestic economy. A couple of days ago the US marked it’s 3,000 fatal casualty in Iraq. One wonders just how much more they are willing to take.