Former Pentagon chief sees damage to U.S. military

WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. military's ground forces are so stretched by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that potential adversaries may be tempted to challenge the United States, a group headed by former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry said on Wednesday.

"If the strain is not relieved, it will have highly corrosive and long-term effects on the military," Perry, who served under Democratic President Bill Clinton, told a Capitol Hill news conference.

Despite Pentagon statements to the contrary, the group's 15-page report warned of looming crises in recruiting troops and retaining current ones that threaten the viability of the all-volunteer military, and cited critical equipment shortfalls in the Army and National Guard.

"We believe that the Bush administration has broken faith with the American soldier and Marine," the report said, citing poor planning for Iraq stability operations, too few troops there to accomplish the mission at an acceptable level of risk, and inadequate equipment and protection for deployed troops.

The report said these failures caused "a real risk of 'breaking the force.'"

The report's contributors include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former national security adviser Samuel Berger, retired Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, former supreme allied commander of NATO, and others who served in the Clinton administration.

Perry was defense secretary from 1994-97.

'VISIBLE OVEREXTENSION'

The report said the Army and Marine Corps cannot sustain current operational tempo indefinitely without sustaining real damage.

"In the meantime, the United States has only limited ground force capability ready to respond to other contingencies. The absence of a credible strategic reserve in our ground forces increases the risk that potential adversaries will be tempted to challenge the United States," the report said.

"Although the United States can still deploy air, naval, and other more specialized assets to deter or respond to aggression, the visible overextension of our ground forces could weaken our ability to deter aggression."

The report urged spending substantial resources to modernize the force, increasing the pool of deployable Army forces by at least 30,000 soldiers, and upgrade the Army National Guard and Reserve.

A separate report commissioned by the Pentagon also warned of damage to the Army amid the ongoing large deployments of soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan. It was written by Andrew Krepinevich, a retired Army officer who heads the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

These reports provide a different view from official Pentagon proclamations that the Army remains strong and that there is no reason to believe a military draft might become necessary. (Additional reporting by Vicki Allen)

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