Is it getting drafty in here?

U.S. General Warns Army Reserve Is Being 'Broken'
By Will Dunham, January 5, 2005, Reuters

WASHINGTON, The U.S. Army Reserve, tapped heavily to provide soldiers for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is "degenerating into a 'broken' force" due to dysfunctional military policies, the Army Reserve's chief said in a memo made public on Wednesday.

"I do not wish to sound alarmist. I do wish to send a clear, distinctive signal of deepening concern," Lt. Gen. James Helmly said in a Dec. 20 memo to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker.

The Army Reserve is a force of 200,000 part-time soldiers who opted not to sign up for the active-duty Army but can be mobilized from their civilian lives in times of national need. About 52,000 Army Reserve soldiers are on active duty, with 17,000 in Iraq and 2,000 in Afghanistan, the Army said.

The article continues: Helmly referred to "potential 'sociological' damage" to the all-volunteer military by paying inducements of $1,000 extra per month to reservists who volunteer to remobilize.

"We must consider the point at which we confuse 'volunteer to become an American Soldier' with 'mercenary,'" Helmly said.

Helmly said Pentagon reluctance to issue orders calling reservists to active duty "in a timely manner" resulted in more than 10,000 reserve soldiers getting as little as three to five days notice before being compelled back into uniform.

There’s more, but the gist is that we’re beating the hell out of our part-time soldiers. Dear Leader and his toadies say no draft is required. Hah! What are they going to do when he wants to bring Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Canada to heel? I see a draft. What do you think?