http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/weekinreview/25shanker.html
Another important yet incredibly depressing article the effect one bad decision – invading Iraq – has had as it ripples through the strength (real and perceived) of the American military engine, the US position in global politics, and the decreasing ability to safeguard homeland security. (The capitalised version, of course, receives all the funding it needs.)
To meet the orders to deploy, and to reassure the troops and their families that every soldier landing in the desert will be certified ready for the mission, those brigades will focus on training relevant only to the counterinsurgency effort in Iraq, leaving for another day the full spectrum of training desired by the Army to have its units prepared for any emergency, a senior officer said…
As a consequence, he said, the United States has lost much of its historic military flexibility. “We know that,” he said. “So do our adversaries. To some degree, Iran and North Korea can play this round of poker more boldly.”