David Botti
|
Feb 28, 2008 12:01 PM
Touting their new study as the most comprehensive survey
of the U.S. military community in the past 50 years, Foreign Policy
magazine is presenting the results of its discussions with more than
3,400 officers holding the rank of major, or lieutenant commander, and
above. Here is a brief sample of the survey's findings:
These officers see a military apparatus severely strained by the grinding
demands of war. Sixty percent say the U.S. military is weaker today than it
was five years ago. Asked why, more than half cite the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
and the pace of troop deployments those conflicts require. More than half the
officers say the military is weaker than it was either 10 or 15 years ago.
But asked whether “the demands of the war in Iraq have broken the U.S. military,”
56 percent of the officers say they disagree. That is not to say, however,
that they are without concern. Nearly 90 percent say that they believe the
demands of the war in Iraq have “stretched the U.S. military dangerously thin.”
The magazine also asked participants to rate the health of the
branches of service on a scale of one to 10, with 10 meaning they are
most concerned. The Army came in highest with 7.9, followed by the
Marine Corps with 7.0. The average score for all for all four branches
was 6.6. The officers also said they would advise against waging a new
war given the current state of the military. Despite these findings,
the survey also reported 64 percent of the participants characterized
morale as high.
The survey also asked officers their opinions on the governmental leadership of the nation. On a scale of one to 10, with 10 saying they have a great deal of confidence, the study reports these numbers:
- Presidency: 5.5 (16 percent had no confidence at all)
- CIA: 4.7
- State Department: 4.1
- Veterans Administration: 4.5
- Department of Defense: 5.6
- U.S. Congress: 2.7
To fix the state of the U.S. military,
the study found 40 percent of participants say special operations
capabilities should be expanded. In addition, there were more
circuitous ideas:
Above
all, though, the officers are clear that the chances for victory do not rest
on the shoulders of the military alone. Nearly three quarters of the officers
say the United States must improve its intelligence capabilities—the highest
percentage of any of the choices offered. Active-duty officers and those who
have retired within the past year give a much higher priority to nonmilitary
tools, including more robust diplomacy, developing a force of deployable civilian
experts, and increasing foreign-aid programs.
It's a fascinating study, and one that can help break down some
uniform misconceptions people have of the military. Now that this
study is concluded, let's see a survey of 3,400 corporals and sergeants.
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