Foreword
The ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — the largest and longest U.S. military engagements since the Vietnam war — have led to a substantial increase in the numbers of service men and women fighting overseas. More than half the Army has been deployed at least once and 15 percent at least twice in support of these operations.This prolonged combat duty, combined with difficulties in Army recruiting, has raised concerns that enough troops may not be available to accomplish the military’s missions, and that service members and their families are experiencing significant burdens and hardships not shared by the rest…
