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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsExclusive: 21 Generals Lead an ISIS War the U.S. Denies
There are only 5,000 U.S. troops in Iraqabout what a colonel usually commands. But for this ISIS war, as many as 21 generals have been deployed. Why?
03.31.16 1:10 AM ET
Nancy A. Youssef
In the war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, the U.S. military is notably short on soldiers, but apparently not on generals.
There are at least 12 U.S. generals in Iraq, a stunningly high number for a war that, if you believe the White House talking points, doesnt involve American troops in combat. And that number is, if anything, a conservative estimate, not taking into account the flag officers running the U.S. air war, the admirals helping wage the war from the sea, or their superiors back in the Pentagon.
At U.S. headquarters inside Baghdads fortified Green Zone, even majors and colonels frequently find themselves saluting superiors at a pace that outranks the Pentagon and certainly any normal military installation. With about 5,000 troops deployed to Iraq and Syria ISIS war, that means theres a general for every 416 troops, give or take. To compare, there are some captains in the U.S. Army in charge of that many people.
Moreover, many of those generals come with staffs and bureaucracy that some argue slows decision-making against an agile terror group.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/31/exclusive-21-generals-lead-an-isis-war-the-u-s-denies.html
Downwinder
(12,869 posts)Victor_c3
(3,557 posts)If you can straddle two months with a week in the Mideast east you get both months worth of benefits. When I was in, it was probably worth almost $1,000 a month between the two.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)hobbit709
(41,694 posts)Leaders are by definition up front.