The Army moves to a “shadow draft” by expanding stop-loss — a program that forces volunteer members in the Armed Services to serve indefinitely. This may be an indication that losses of experienced “volunteers” were about to spike.
Without the program, an average division would have to replace 4,000 soldiers – perhaps one-quarter to one-fifth of its strength – before or during a deployment, according an Army press release.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld continues to claim that the military, as now structured, can meet the needs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is simply wrong, as the Pentagon's actions make clear. In addition to stop-loss, the military is now activating significant portions of the Individual Ready Reserve as part of what it is calling an “involuntary mobilization.” [John Robb's Weblog]