By Prensa Latina
Washington : Repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan are affecting the US Army, which is plagued by desertions and suicides, among other factors, a high-ranking military officer said.
Quoted by USA Today, Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, mentioned several problems that the Army has to deal with, including the declining quality of Army recruits, retention of midlevel officers, desertions and suicides.
He said that his primary concern was the loss of captains, because the Army invests about 10 years to develop them.
Casey, who commanded the US troops in Iraq from 2004 to 2007, has repeatedly warned about the consequences of those conflicts for the US Armed Forces.
He noted that divorce rates increased in 2004 but have leveled off, and suicides have increased, however. “That is a disturbing trend,” he said.
According to a survey by the Center for a New American Security, 80 percent of US troops think it is senseless to think about waging new wars successfully, after the weakness caused by the occupation of Iraq.
Those polled, including 3,400 active and retired officers, said the Pentagon’s military apparatus is severely weak.
Nearly 60 percent said that the US forces are less powerful now than when they invaded Iraq in March 2003.
They think that the Department of Defense has made mistakes, including recruiting citizens who do not meet the requirements, insufficient care of veterans and wounded soldiers, and little rest at home before returning to the theater of operations.