A report in the April 30, 2007 issue of US News and World Report magazine (see p. 30) makes it starkly evident how drastically the US Army has been degraded by excessive deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a sidebar article entitled “Nuance is a Casualty of War,” the article cited elements of testimony from a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing re: “an army stretched to the breaking point.” In summing up the testimony of a retired General, the article stated: “Equipment is in tatters, and two thirds of regular ground force brigades are ‘not combat ready.’ Its a crisis that will take many years to fix.”
Let these words sink in for full effect. Fully “2/3rds of US ground force brigades are NOT “combat ready.” In other words, the USA’s now-small army is worn out. If this analysis is true, then the US Army is in its worst state in living memory and the White House and Congress are responsible. Clearly, when President Clinton dramatically downsized the army, no one in policy-making positions expected the army would experience more (not fewer) deployments in the post-Cold War era. The USA’s volunteer army was designed for limited peace-keeping roles and only occasional combat deployments. One does wonder how soon the nation will have no choice but to return to a military draft, given the dangers and threats that are growing in the world.
As readers of this website know already, the gradual weakening of the USA and the Western world perfectly fits the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 for the latter days. The Western nations will eventually weaken to the point that they will become juicy targets to the nations prophesied to attack them (see my report on “Ezekiel 38-39 and World War III” at this website for more information on this assertion).
I should state that I do not foresee this attack coming for a matter of years. The also-reduced US Navy and Air Force have considerable firepower yet, and the USA still has a massive nuclear deterrent, but the trend lines are clear: the militaries (and the Will) of the Western nations grow steadily weaker. Amazingly, we have now reached the point where two-thirds of US ground force brigades are essential non-functional, which means the remaining third is already deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our politicians and media can barely manage a yawn regarding the situation. Like most of the Western nations, they are asleep as dangers grow.
Steve Collins
April 25, 2007
