Over the past two to three years, the percentage of military personnel held back from combat because of physical or emotional injuries has risen to 12%, according to the U.S. Army. Military leaders says approximately 20,000 personnel are currently unavailable because of medical problems, many of which aren’t wounds from bullets or shrapnel, but back and neck injuries that are caused by carrying heavy body armor, ammunition and weapons.

 

To correct the shortage of combat troops, the Army is relying on President Barack Obama’s plan to end combat operations in Iraq by next year, which will free up units to be transferred to Afghanistan. If that does not happen, the Army will be forced to use National Guard and reservists even more than it already has, and it may have to shrink the amount of downtime combat units get when redeployed home. This last option could prove particularly controversial in light of the shooting by an American sergeant in Iraq who killed five of his fellow soldiers at a combat stress clinic.

-Noel Brinkerhoff