英语考研阅读时代周刊.docx

英语考研阅读时代周刊.docx

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英语考研阅读时代周刊

Thursday,Apr.05,2007

America'sBroken-DownArmy

ByMarkThompson

America'sBroken-DownArmy

ByMarkThompson

FormostAmericans,theIraqwarisbothdistantandneverending.ForPrivateMatthewZeimer,itwasneither.ShortlyaftermidnightonFeb.2,Zeimerhadhisfirsttasteofcombatashescrambledtotheroofofthe3rdInfantryDivision'sCombatOutpostGrantincentralRamadi.Undercoverofdarkness,Sunniinsurgentswereattackinghisnewpostfromnearbybuildings.Amidthesmoke,noiseandconfusion,ablastsuddenlyrippedthroughthe3-ft.concretewallshieldingZeimerandafellowsoldier,killingthemboth.ZeimerhadbeeninIraqforaweek.Hehadbeenathisfirstcombatpostfortwohours.

IfZeimer'scombatcareerwasbrief,sowashistraining.HeenlistedlastJuneatage17,threeweeksaftergraduatingfromDawsonCountyHighSchoolineasternMontana.AfterfinishingnineweeksofbasictrainingandadditionalpreparationininfantrytacticsinOklahoma,hearrivedatFortStewart,Ga.,inearlyDecember.ButZeimerhadmissedtheintensefour-weekpre-Iraqtraining—atasteofwhattroopswillfaceincombat—thathis1stBrigadecomradesgotattheirhomepostinOctober.Instead,Zeimerandabout140othermembersofthe4,000-strongbrigadegotacut-rate,10-daycourseonweaponuse,firstaidandIraqiculture.That'sthesamelengthasthecoursethatteachessoldiersassignedtogenerals'householdstaffsthefinerpointsoftableservice.

TheArmyandtheWhiteHouseinsisttheabbreviatedtrainingwasadequate."Theycangetdeserttrainingelsewhere,"spokesmanTonySnowsaidFeb.28,"likeinIraq."ButoutsidemilitaryexpertsandZeimer'smotherdisagree.TheArmy'srushtocarryoutPresidentGeorgeW.Bush'sordertosendthousandsof

additionaltroopsmorequicklytoIraqisforcingtwoofthefivenewbrigadesboundforthewartoskipstandardtrainingatFortIrwin,Calif.Thesesoldiersaren'tgettingthebenefitofparticipatinginwargames

onthewideMojaveDesert,wheregun-jammingsandandfauxinsurgentscloselyresembleconditionsin

Iraq."GiventhenewpolicyofhavingtroopsamongtheIraqis,"saysLawrenceKorb,aformerPentagon

personnelchief,"theyshouldbegivingouryoungsoldiersmoretraining,notless."Zeimer'smotherwas

unawareofthegapinherson'straininguntilTIMEtoldheraboutitonApril2.TwodayslatertheArmy

disclosedthatZeimermayhavebeenkilledbyfriendlyfire."They'reshippingmoreandmoreyoungkids

overtherewhodon'tknowwhatthey'regettinginto,"JanetSeymoursaidquietlyafterlearningwhather

sonhadmissed."They'veneverseenwarotherthanontheTV."

Thetruncatedtraining—therushtogetunderpreparedtroopstothewarzone—"isabsolutely

unacceptable,"saysRepresentativeJohnMurtha,thePennsylvaniaDemocratandopponentofthewarwho

chairstheHouseAppropriationsdefensesubcommittee.AdecoratedMarineveteranofVietnam,Murthais

experiencingasenseofdéjàvu."ThereadinessoftheArmy'sgroundforcesisasbadasitwasrightafter

Vietnam,"MurthatellsTIME.EvenColinPowell—aretiredArmygeneral,onetimeChairmanoftheJoint

ChiefsandBush'sfirstSecretaryofState—acknowledgesthatafterspendingnearlysixyearsfightingasmallwar

inAfghanistanandfouryearswagingamedium-sizewarinIraq,theservicewhoseuniformheworefor35years

isontheropes."TheactiveArmy,"PowellsaidinDecember,"isaboutbroken."

BushwarnedthatifDemocratsinCongressdidnotpassabilltofundthewaronhisterms,"thepriceofthat

failurewillbepaidbyourtroopsandtheirlovedones."Buttheyarealreadypayingapricefordecisionshehas

made,andthelargercostsarelikelytobeborneforatleastageneration.ThisisnotonlyamatteroftheU.S.'s

abilitytodefenditselfathomeandprotectitsinterestsoverseas,vitalthoughthosemissionsare.TheArmyisthe

heartoftheU.S.military,practicingwhatdemocraciessometimesmanageonlytopreach.Allsoldiersare

createdequal;raceandclassdefertorankandmerit.Exceptforthestars,thegeneralwearstheuniformofthe

privateincombat.TheArmyisthepublicinstitutionthatsetsthepaceforotherstofollow,makesthestakes

higher,thedemandsgreater.Itsrewardsarepaidingloryandblood.

AvolunteerArmyreflectsthemostcentralandsacredvowthatcitizensmaketooneanother:

soldiersprotect

anddefendthecountry;inreturn,thecountrypromisestogivethemthetoolstheyneedtocompletetheir

missionandhonortheirservice,whatevertheoutcome.ItwasBush,ontheeveofthe2000election,who

promised"toallofourmenandwomeninuniformandtotheirparentsandtotheirfamilies,helpisontheway."

BesidesputtingPowellatState,thePresidentreinforcedhisAdministrationwithtwoformerDefense

Secretaries:

VicePresidentDickCheneyand,inthejobforasecondtime,DonaldRumsfeld.

Soitisnosmallironythattoday'sU.S.Armyfindsitselfunderthegreateststraininageneration.ThePentagon

madethatclearApril2whenitannouncedthattwoArmyunitswillsoonreturntoIraqwithoutevenayearat

home,comparedwiththetwoyearsunitshavetraditionallyenjoyed.Oneisheadedbackafter47daysshortofa

year,theother81."Thisisthefirsttimewe'vehadavoluntaryArmyonanextendeddeployment,"saysAndrew

Krepinevich,aretiredArmyofficerwhoadviseshisoldservice."Alotofcanariesaredroppingdeadinthemine."

ThemainconsequencesofatightlystretchedArmyisthatmenandwomenarebeingsentintocombatwithless

training,shorterbreaksanddisintegratingequipment.Whenthosestoriesgetout,theymakeithardertoretain

soldiersandrecruittheminthefirstplace."Forus,it'sjustanotherseriesofnever-endingdeployments,andfor

many,includingme,thereisonlyoneanswertothat—showmethedoorout,"wroteanofficerinaprivatee-mail

toCongressmanSteveRothmanofNewJersey.

ArmyequipmentiswearingoutevenfasterthanArmytroops.Gearandweaponsareusuallyleftinthewarzone

tobeusedbynewlyarrivingtroops.Thatgrindstheequipmentintoscrapupto10timesasfastasinpeacetime.

Thelackofgunsandarmorbackhomehasaboomerangeffect:

manyofthetroopstrainingintheU.S.arenot

familiarwithwhatthey'llhavetodependononcetheyarriveinIraq.

TodayhalftheArmy's43combatbrigadesaredeployedoverseas,withtheremainderrecoveringfromtheirlatest

deploymentorpreparingforthenextone.Forthefirsttimeindecades,theArmy's"readybrigade"—aunitofthe

famed82ndAirborneDivisionprimedtoparachuteintoahotspotanywhereintheworldwithin72hours—isa

luxurytheU.S.Armycannotafford.AllitsforcesarealreadydedicatedtothewarsinIraqandAfghanistan.

Repeatedcombattourshave"ahugeimpactonfamilies,"GeneralPeterSchoomaker,theArmychiefofstaff,told

CongressinFebruary.ThosedeployedtoIraqorAfghanistanmorethanonce—170,000sofar—havea50%

increaseinacutecombatstressoverthosewhohavebeendeployedonlyonce.Andthatstressiswhatcontributes

topost-traumaticstressdisorder,accordingtoanArmystudy."Theirwivesaresaying,Iknowyou'reproudof

whatyou'redoing,butwe'vegottogetoutofhere,"saysBarryMcCaffrey,aretiredfour-stargeneral.

NewDefenseSecretaryRobertGatesconcedestherearereadinessproblems.HetoldCongressMarch29that

nextyear'sproposed$625billiondefensebudget—thehighest,adjustedforinflation,sinceWorldWarII—will

"makeagoodstartataddressingthereadiness"issuesplaguingtheArmy.Hisfirstconcernbeforetakingthe

postinDecemberwashissuspicion"thatourgroundforcesweren'tlargeenough,"andhehasurgedtroophikes

startingnextyear.

THEWRONGKINDOFWAR

TheArmy'sproblemswerelonginthemaking,andtheextendeddeploymentsinIraqandAfghanistanhave

exposedthemforalltosee:

morethanadecadeofunderfundingforbootsonthegroundwhilecoldwar

administrationsfromRichardNixon'stoBillClinton'sspentlavishlyonthePentagon'shigh-techwizardry.The

firstGulfWardidn'thelp.Itlasted100hoursontheground,wasfoughtmainlyfromtheairandreinforcedthe

impressionthatgruntsmatterlessthangeeks.

Today'sArmywasmoldedforpeacetimemissions,withoccasionalspasmsofall-outwar,notforthelengthy

guerrillacampaignsitiswaging."FollowingVietnam,alotofthoughtfulofficerssaid,Thisisnotthekindofwar

thatwewanttofight,"explainsSenatorJackReed,DemocratofRhodeIsland,aVietnam-eraArmyofficer.

Counterinsurgencywarsdidn'tplaytotheU.S.'sstrongsuit—superiortechnology—andinsteaddemanded

patience,whichishardertocomebyinthisculture.Evennow,morethanfouryearsafterinvadingIraq,the

Pentagonseemstobeinvestingmuchofitscurrent$606billionbudgetinanefforttofightthewrongwar.

America'spotentialenemiesaroundtheworldwatchedthefirstGulfWarandlearnedthattheU.S.was

unbeatableonaconventionalbattlefield.ButtheDefenseDepartmentlingeredinacoldwarhangover.TheAir

Forcecontinuestobuy$330millionfighters,andtheNavy$2billionsubmarines.（TheArmyisnotfreeofthis

tendency.Itwantstospend$160billionontheFutureCombatSystem,anetworkof14groundvehiclesand

dronesofquestionablevalueintheirregularwarfarethat'slikelyinthe21stcentury.）Gateshassecond-guessed

thePentagon'sspendingprioritiesandsaysheisstudyingwhethertheDefenseDepartmentisbuyingweapons

"moretiedtocoldwarneedsthanfutureneeds."EvenJohnAbizaid,theoutgoingArmygeneralwho

commandedthetroopsfightinginAfghanistanandIraqforthepastthreeyear