http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N25366533.htmFormer Pentagon chief sees damage to U.S. military
WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. military's ground forces are so stretched by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that potential adversaries may be tempted to challenge the United States, a group headed by former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry said on Wednesday.
"If the strain is not relieved, it will have highly corrosive and long-term effects on the military," Perry, who served under Democratic President Bill Clinton, told a Capitol Hill news conference.
Despite Pentagon statements to the contrary, the group's 15-page report warned of looming crises in recruiting troops and retaining current ones that threaten the viability of the all-volunteer military, and cited critical equipment shortfalls in the Army and National Guard.
...
The report's contributors include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former national security adviser Samuel Berger, retired Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, former supreme allied commander of NATO, and others who served in the Clinton administration.