HOME / war stories: Military analysis.

Broken ArrowHow the U.S. Army broke in Iraq.

(Continued from page 1)

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has said that the only thing worse than a broken army is a defeated army. But this puts the cart before the horse, because in this case, the breaking of America's military will lead to defeat, both now and later. America cannot afford to send untrained, unready, or distracted troops into complex conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan show no sign of ending soon, and we would do well to conserve our military so that it's ready to persevere, both in this war and the next.

Print This ArticlePRINTEmail to a FriendE-MAILShare This ArticleRECOMMEND...Get Slate RSS FeedsRSS
Phillip Carter is a former Army officer and Iraq veteran.
What did you think of this article?
Join The Fray: Our Reader Discussion Forum
POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES
TODAY'S PICTURES
TODAY'S CARTOONS
TODAY'S DOONESBURY
TODAY'S VIDEO
All that glitters …93/091202_TP.jpg
Cartoonists' take on Afghanistan.55/091202_TC.jpg
Handling the old dude.66/0912102_TD.jpg