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 Some 600 US soldiers severely wounded in Iraq and being treated as long term outpatients at Walter Reed Hospital are now being forced to pay for their hospital meals out of pocket.
Salon, January 27, 2005
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The US military is facing a severe shortage of reserve troops as early as next year. The National Guard has already deployed its most ready combat brigades, and has only 86,000 fresh troops available for service in Iraq. Guard and Reserve members make up almost 50% of the 150,000 troops now in Iraq.
The Associated Press courtesy of First Coast News, January 24, 2005
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To bolster sagging troop levels, the Army is using a little-known program to bring back military retirees currently on pension who volunteer to return to active military duty in Iraq. These officers and enlisted ex-soldiers range in age from late 40s to late 60s.
USA Today courtesy of the News-Leader, January 13, 2005
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Due to the shortage of available personnel, the Army is proposing a change to the current National Guard and Reserve policy that would allow an "unlimited number of call-ups, so long as no single mobilization lasted more than 24 months."
The Associated Press courtesy of MSNBC, January 6, 2004
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Newly released data shows that American troops in Iraq are suffering twice the rate of amputations than in previous wars and that some 20 percent of those injured received head or neck wounds that will require "a lifetime of care."
The Boston Globe, December 9, 2004
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Top military officials report that their forces are nearing the breaking point due to the war in Iraq. They note the "increasing difficulty of recruiting and retaining soldiers, and then equipping them for combat" as major obstacles.
The Los Angeles Times, November 18, 2004
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Faced with challenges in recruiting and retaining members, the Army has chosen to lower some of its requirements for entry in order to meet recruitment goals.
The New York Times, October 1, 2004
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Almost one-third of the 1,765 Individual Ready Reserve members who were involuntarily called for active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan have not reported by their September 28th deadline.
The Associated Press courtesy of ABC News, October 1, 2004
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The recently activated 98th Army Reserve Division is being sent to Iraq for a one-year tour. This non-combat unit of the Reserves does not have its own weapons or vehicles.
The Associated Press courtesy of KWTX News, 2004
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Citing security concerns, the Pentagon has blocked many internet service providers from accessing the online Federal Voting Assistance Program, making it more difficult for overseas military members and American expats to register to vote.
Expatica, September 21, 2004
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Almost 17,000 members of the Armed Forces who have been medically evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan have not been counted in the Pentagon non-combat casualty numbers.
UPI courtesy of Editor & Publisher, September 15, 2004
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The Government Accountability Office reports the Bush Administration is considering a change to the current policy on involuntary Reserve and Guard mobilizations to allow "repeated involuntary mobilization, so long as no single mobilization exceeds 24 consecutive months".
Agence France-Presse courtesy of the The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, September 16, 2004
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The Marines have been forced to reduce their pre-deployment field combat training for battalions shipping to Iraq in half due to a rapidly increasing need for fresh troops.
Newhouse News Service courtesy of The Star-Ledger, August 24, 2004
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Due to a lack of active-duty forces, the National Guard presence in Iraq will increase by two full brigades in the next rotation scheduled for later this years. Members of the National Guard currently make up 39% of American forces in Iraq.
The Associated Press courtesy of ABC News, July 9, 2004
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Troop availability is so stretched that a 2,500-member unit whose primary function is to play opposition forces in field training and exercises is being considered for deployment in Iraq.
USA Today, May 25, 2004
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The Army Reserve has been using "misleading, inaccurate and intimidating" methods to get inactive reservists to reenlist in the active reserves or to join their National Guard.
The Associated Press courtesy of The Arizona Republic, May 23
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Donald Rumsfeld is requesting that Congress grant him the authorization to use normally private IRS information to track down tens of thousands reservists who could face activation.
TheMilitary.com, May 18, 2004
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Due to the shortage of available troops for American commitments, the Bush Administration is considering activating the 17,000 members of the Individual Ready Reserve, reservists who are usually only called to active duty in the case of a national emergency.
The Associated Press courtesy of the Guardian, May 12, 2004
The Seattle Times, May 20, 2004
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The Selective Service has proposed that women be required to register for the draft. Additionally, they are suggesting that draft age Americans be required to inform the government of any "niche training" that could be useful to the armed services.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer , May 1, 2004
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The number of available American troops to serve in Iraq is becoming "thin". If additional numbers are needed in Iraq, units home from deployment in Iraq or Afghanistan may have to face returning there earlier than the one year that had been discussed by the military.
The Associated Press courtesy of the Guardian, April 28, 2004
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Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld presented a 2005 budget that cut Defense funding by some 6%, despite the ongoing need for additional supplies and troops for our occupation of Iraq.
Newsweek, May 3, 2004
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Though George W. Bush has used an image of a fallen 9/11 firefighter in his own campaign commercial, he has come out in favor of a total ban on the release of images showing the caskets of US soldiers killed in Iraq.
Reuters, April 23, 2004
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The Selective Service -- the governmental agency responsible for conducting military drafts -- is in the process of planning and conducting its largest readiness exercises since the '70s. Included in these exercises will be the drawing of lottery numbers and the assigning of them to "all registrants in a selected year of birth group", and the "issuance of the first Armed Forces Examination Orders".
Selective Service System, Annual Performance Plan, 2004
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Fears that the number of "security consultants" killed in Iraq would add to the "political fallout" have meant these deaths have gone mostly unreported. Some 80 of these fighters were killed in Iraq from April 5th to April 13th.
The Star, April 13, 2004
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Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard and who are stationed in Iraq have tested positive for exposure to manmade uranium, most likely from exposure to dust from depleted uranium munitions used by American troops in the invasion.
New York Daily News, April 3, 2004
Guardian
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The US Missile Defense Agency has begun the creation of a new weapons project called the Near Field Infrared Experiment, a satellite design that includes the capability to destroy missiles and orbiting satellites. This new project is described being the first step in the "unprecedented weaponization of space".
ABC
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Due to the overcommitment of armed forces, US soldiers who are sick or injured -- including those recently wounded in Iraq -- are being sent into combat.
The Guardian, April 3, 2004
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The rate of suicide by Army members in Iraq & Kuwait is "much higher" than in the rest of the Army overall.
The Associated Press courtesy of The New York Times
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At a recent Washington correspondents diner, George W. Bush made jokes about his inability to find the WMDs he claimed was the reason for the US invasion of Iraq.
New York Daily News, March 25, 2004
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A Defense Department inspector general's examination into a small percentage of contracts awarded in the first months of the invasion of Iraq show contracts were "inappropriately awarded" and contracted work unmonitored.
Knight Ridder courtesy of Stars & Stripes
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Army units in Iraq are scrambling to find materials to create their own homemade vehicle armor to protect their non-fortified Humvees from roadside bombs.
ABC News, February 7, 2004
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The Selective Service is currently creating a process by which a military draft of skilled workers in the fields of computers and linguists could be called should the Pentagon request it and Congress approve. Plans for a military draft of health care professional is already in place.
The San Francisco Chronicle courtesy of TruthOut, March 13, 2004
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World-wide committments have left Army troop levels so depleted that units are being placed on back-to-back deployments in Iraq.
The Associated Press courtesy of Tribune-Review, March 13, 2004
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Military veterans groups are speaking out against George W. Bush's fiscal 2005 budget, claiming it will cut the number of available VA nursing homes beds, require some vets to pay a fee for access to the VA health care system, and increase drug co-payments, among other criticisms.
The Washington Post, March 3 , 2004
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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) -- the central research and development organization for the Pentagon -- has introduced a research project called "Metabolic Dominance", which is investigating ways to "squeeze the last ounce of performance out of soldiers when they're already worked to exhaustion"?
Wired News, February 17, 2004
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Three of the U.S. military chiefs of staff raised concerns that the Iraqi and Afghanistan operations are looking at a three month gap in funding, due to George W. Bush's refusal to put the necessary money into his 2004 budget.
United Press International courtesy of Military.com, February 11, 2004
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The Disabled American Veterans -- a group congressionally chartered to visit sick and injured service members and counsel them on veterans' benefits and health care -- has accused the Bush Administration of severely hampering their access to those wounded in Iraq through a variety of restrictions, including one that requires they have a full-time escort during visits with patients.
CNN, January 7, 2004
Indie Media Magazine, January 10, 2004
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The United States Army is greatly expanding its use of "stop loss" orders -- which prevents soldiers who are due for retirement or those whose enlistment is up from leaving the service -- due to its inability to keep up with soldier availability demands.
The Associated Press courtesy of the Mercury News, January 5, 2003
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Military retirees may be forced to pay more than a 50% increase in co-payments for their prescription medications under a new Bush Administration proposal.
The Virginian-Pilot courtesy of The Houston Chronicle, January 1, 2004
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Troops partially disabled in Iraq are having to fight to receive benefits.
CBS News, December 12, 2003
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Injured National Guard and Army Reserve troops awaiting medical treatment have received substandard medical care and have been housed in inhumane conditions.
United Press International, October 17, 2003
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The Bush Administration was successful its court fight to overturn an Iraqi monetary judgment won by American servicemen held and tortured during the first Gulf War.
The Associated Press courtesy of WAVY
The New York Times, November 10, 2003
The Associated Press courtesy of FindLaw, June 4, 1004
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The Bush Administration came out against a proposal that would allow National Guard and Reserve members to buy into the Pentagon's health plan, even though one in five carry no health insurance.
Gannett News Services courtesy of The Olympian, October 23, 2003
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Despite widespread outcry, the Bush Administration is attempting to close nineteen commissaries and fifty-eight schools for the children of military personnel across the country.
Army Times, November 11, 2003
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Even with billions of dollars in funds being provided by Congress for our armed forces, many in the military and National Guard are still providing their own protective gear, and remain under equiped.
CNN, March 26, 2004
The Washington Post, November 10, 2003
KOMO News, November 10, 2003
Newsweek, May 3, 2004
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The Pentagon issued new regulations limiting the access of reporters to the funerals of soldiers and reinstated a ban on coverage of military personnel's coffins upon return to Dover Air Force Base from overseas.
ABC News, November 14, 2003
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Repealing a decade-old ban on the development of low-yield nuclear weapons, the Bush Administration pushed for and received legislation that funded the research and creation of a small, "bunker-buster" nuclear device to be known as the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator.
New York Post, November 25, 2003
The Journal of the Federation of American Scientists, January 2001
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