Phi Beta Iota: We'll figure out the troop balance, probably by getting serious about Of, By, and Through IQ forces between now and July 2010–we do that or both the Democrats and Republicans are toast in November 2010. What merits deep reflection below is the mental health angle that ties in with the Fort Hood massacre. And while we're on that topic, RUSH AND CRUSH is the new paradigm for surviving armed attacks. See, Shout, Rush & Crush. Absent a gattling gun, no one should be able to hit more than three people with this strategy, and two of those will almost certainly live. From Virgiia Polytechnic to Fort Hood, citizens standing like sheep waiting to be murdered, is an indictment of our culture, education, and lack of leadership.
New Afghan War Headache: Not Enough Troops Available?
David Wood, 11/6/09
Just to maintain the 16 current brigades in Iraq and Afghanistan is, let's see, three times 16 is 48 and – oops! We're already out of BCTs! And here's the White House blithely batting around numbers like 40,000 more troops. That's roughly eight BCTs, which do not exist.
Below the fold: two key paragraphs on stress, battle performance after multipe tour, and suicides.
Speaking of stress, Army headquarters recently put out a directive that caught my eye from the suicide task force run by Peter Chiarelli, the four-star general who is the Army's vice chief of staff. It seems there is growing concern that some combat officers turning in poor performances may be suffering from psychological trauma or brain injury due to repeated exposure to bomb blasts. Problem is, some of them are being dismissed without being offered proper mental health examinations, becoming potential suicide risks.
