Editorial (Cleveland Plain Dealer): Stretching the army you've got

Two prolonged wars have left the U.S. military dangerously overextended and forced the Pentagon to ignore its own readiness guidelines in order to maintain force levels. Don't take our word for it. Consider instead this string of recent news reports:

Defense officials announced last week that two major units would be sent back to Iraq with less than a year's rest. One of them, the 4th Infantry Division headquarters unit from Fort Hood, is returning after just seven months at home. The Army's stated goal has been to give units at least two years at home to rest and train after combat duty; that's been reduced to a year because of Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, even that lower standard is being relaxed. Explained a Pentagon spokesman: "It's a reflection of the realities that exist right now."

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