Army's Middle Ranks are Dwindling

Another casualty of the war in Iraq. Continued losses of our military leadership would have serious implications for our ability to conduct wars in the future. Bush is destroying U.S. ability to defend itself with his fiasco in the Middle East:

More than five years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan have put the all-volunteer Army under tremendous strain. Time at home is supposed to be longer than time at war — two years to one. Instead, deployments are longer than respites — 15 months versus a year. And there is little or no R&R in combat.

[...]In terms of sheer numbers, the losses are not large: The Army seeks to keep about half of the midlevel soldiers who are eligible to reenlist, and it is making 93% of that goal.

Still, the Army is losing more front-line sergeants and other noncommissioned officers than it can afford to. Considered the backbone of the Army, NCOs are a crucial component of the Pentagon's plan to add nine brigade combat teams to the deployment rotation, relieving the strain on soldiers now facing their third and fourth tours at war.

Military experts are concerned that the years of combat waged by a scaled-down Army are contributing to an erosion of wisdom and experience.