Publication

This report analyzes the impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on the US military's future plans, programs, and budgets, focusing primarily on the army since this is where much of the burden for fighting the wars has fallen. The first looks at the quality of troops being recruited and the cost-effectiveness of strategies to improve recruiting and retention. He further analyzes the impact of recent decisions to increase the size of the force and plans to move to a more modular force structure. He then examines current modernization programs and their suitability for fighting irregular versus conventional wars. Finally, he focuses on readiness and the interdependencies between troop quality, force structure, and equipment modernization.