It's been three months....

...since my last posting based on the work of Lawrence Korb, a deputy secretary of defense under Reagan. He spoke before the House Committee on Armed Services today about the state of our armed services. Korb doesn't think that the state is very good. Regular troops and the Guard and Reserves are over-worked. Mercenaries are now performing combat tasks for us.

What has been forgotten is that the volunteer Army was not intended to fight a long war. The only way a long war can be fought is with a draft, but Korb believes a better course for now is a planned, withdrawal over 10 to 12 months.

Korb repeats the advice he has given elsewhere:

• We need more troops engaged in peacekeeping and counter-insurgency affairs
• We need fewer Cold War era weapons systems
• We need to really open the military to all of our people - gay and women.

As usual, much food for thought.