The US military has become dangerously overstretched because of the
scale of its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, two reports have
warned.
Donald Rumsfeld said the military was capable and battle hardened
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One, by former officials in the Clinton administration,
said the pressure of repeated deployments was very corrosive and could
have long-term effects.
The second, ordered by the Pentagon and yet to be released, reportedly calls the army "stretched to breaking point".
The US defence secretary dismissed the claims as out of date or misdirected.
About 138,000 US troops remain in Iraq, on top of deployments to Afghanistan and Kosovo.
'Enormous strain'
The study commissioned by Democratic members of Congress
listed former Defence Secretary William Perry and former Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright among its authors.
It said the US military had performed admirably in recent operations but was under "enormous strain".
The studies warn of future problems in recruitment and retention
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"This strain, if not soon relieved, will have highly corrosive and potentially long-term effects on the force," it stated.
The report predicted problems recruiting new troops and
retaining current ones in the face of repeated overseas tours and
shortfalls in vital equipment.
It accused the Bush administration of having failed
adequately to assess the size of force and equipment needed in
post-invasion Iraq, creating "a real risk of 'breaking the force'."
The report also warned that the lack of a credible
strategic reserve "increases the risk that potential adversaries will
be tempted to challenge the United States".
'Not broken'
The second study, conducted for the Pentagon by military
expert Andrew Krepinevich, suggested that the military at its current
rate of deployment might not be able to outlast the insurgency in Iraq.
He cited the problems experienced by the army in meeting its recruitment targets last year.
Speaking in Washington, Defence Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld rejected the warnings given in both reports, saying: "The
force is not broken."
He said the US military was enormously capable and
battle-hardened and any report suggesting it was close to breaking
point was "just not consistent with the facts".
The BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington says the reports
echo the view held by some in Congress and even by some within the
armed forces.
They fear that if the Iraq commitment lasts a great deal
longer, or if the US is drawn into new conflict, the US armed forces
could find it difficult to meet their commitments. | 
