How many parades, birthdays, and other ceremonial bashes could be foregone to free up more troops for field service? How many "military" positions could shift to "civilians" to the same effect?
We have the same problem....but also refuse to admit it....the last bunch of 82nd Airborne troops headed for Iraq trained in the Piney woods of Camp McCall in North Carolina....and not at Fort Irwin at the Desert Training Center....reason....the 11th ACR (Training Cadre at Fort Irwin) were deployed to Iraq for field operations. That tell you how bad it has gotten here?
The recruiting short fall is not as bad as the press is making it out to be. The Army is growing....thus the shortfall is actually an increase in raw numbers over last year but still shows as a shortfall. The active duty military are having re-enlistment rates at historical high percentages....the troops are re-inlisting. The Reserves and National Guard are seeing some shortfall and down turn in re-enlistments...but that is no surprise. When Muffy and others found out that there is more to the Reserves (Territorials) than college money and pay and retirement....as so many thought.....they are leaving after their enlistments are up. Units are still able to deploy so it is not a crisis yet.