The commander of the US Army Reserve cautioned in an internal memorandum that extended combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan are pushing his branch toward collapse. Lieutenant General James Helmly addressed the memo to Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker on 20 December, warning that the reserve faces a "grave" danger of being unable to meet its obligations.
Helmly said the reserve could no longer fulfill mission requirements under current personnel policies tied to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and called for expanded authority for involuntary call-ups as a partial remedy.
The Baltimore Sun first reported on the memo Wednesday; the full document later appeared online. A government official confirmed its authenticity, while an Army spokesman declined to comment but suggested the Department of the Army would respond the following day.
The disclosure came as Congress was preparing to review a new multibillion-dollar war-funding request, and it was expected to renew debate over whether the military could sustain operations in Iraq without reinstating a draft. Army Reserve soldiers account for roughly 20 percent of the approximately 150,000 US troops being positioned in Iraq ahead of elections scheduled for 30 January, with reservists and National Guard members together making up more than 40 percent of American ground forces there.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in January 2005, in its own words.