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

By Phillip Carter
Posted Friday, March 30, 2007, at 6:59 PM ET

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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.

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Phillip Carter is a former Army officer and Iraq veteran.
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