Thu, 08 Mar 2007 21:29

Strained by simultaneous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq the nation’s top general has told Congress that military readiness is at significant risk and that the armed forces would not be able to respond as quickly and adequately to a new crisis as they normally could.

The bleak assessment was in a classified report prepared by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and represents a worsening of the situation from this time frame in 2006 when the risk was rated as “moderate.”

Submitted to Defense Secretary Robert Gates in early January it does not reflect the latest tactical move of increasing troop strength by 21,500.

Military officials have constantly complained that lengthy and repetitious deployments are stressing the Army and Marine corps, the reserves and National Guard along with taking heavy tolls on equipment.

Gates delivered Pace’s assessment to Congress along with his own six-page report addressing Pace’s points including requests for money to replace and repair equipment.

In his own report Gates said that the decline in readiness was also affected by whether other federal agencies were carrying out their commitments, a reference to long-standing allegations that the State Department was not meeting its responsibilities in Iraq rebuilding efforts and shoring up the Iraq government’s political development.