Lately even the Pentagon top officials have had to acknowledge the existence of very grave problems in keeping up the morale of the US troops stationed in Iraq and recruits and reservists sent to that country.
The absence of any visible prospects for the stabilization of the situation in Iraq, the inability of the US administration and military command to find a way out of "the Iraqi impasse", the poor efficiency of the anti-insurgent operations and the continued rise of the number of casualties, the constant state of stress and the enmity of the local population, the unreliability of the Iraqi government forces, and finally, the upsurge of the anti-war sentiments in the US itself give rise to the feelings of dejection, disappointment and weariness among US servicemen.
The reason for a new drop in the morale of the US troops serving in Iraq is the recent ineffective handling by the Bush administration of the rescue operations after the devastating "Katrina" hurricane. The more so as the military command denied the majority of the residents of the south-eastern states (mostly reservists assigned for duty in Iraq) home leaves to help their families and relatives who suffered from the hurricane.
This situation even led to the rise of AWOL cases in the US occupation forces in Iraq, especially among the reservists. The press of the Arab countries neighboring on Iraq reports that the main part of the American deserters have been heading for Turkey using the escape routes for the illegal crossing of the Turkish-Iraqi border provided for a certain charge by the local Kurds. The main transit center for the American deserters is the town of Dakhuk in Iranian Kurdistan, at 60 km from the Turkish border.
The number of army dodgers refusing under all kinds of pretexts to be shipped off to Iraq or unwilling to renew their contracts with the Department of Defense has been growing in the US itself. As for the US occupation contingent on place in Iraq, it has been characterized by a marked decrease in the level of professionalism and moral-psychological stability among the ranks and officers, and a rise of suicide cases, accidents and conflicts in the units caused by nervous breakdowns.
According to official data, over 30 percent of the US servicemen who have been to Iraq have serious psychological problems. About 400 servicemen have been evacuated from Iraq during the last six months on account of psychological disorders. As for unofficial data, the number of soldiers and officers who need psychological rehabilitation on returning from Iraq is such that the US military-medical institutions simply cannot help them all, and the problem remains actually unattended.
Of special concern to the Pentagon is also the growth of suicide cases among US servicemen. Thus, the US military press reports that in the 2nd expeditionary marine division alone, which is considered one of the most battle-worthy and highly motivated formations of the US armed forces, about 150 suicide cases were reported since February of this year, including 42 cases ending in death. It is noteworthy that such cases have taken place even in the elite reconnaissance units of the division.
The highly indicative medical and sociological studies conducted in the same 2nd expeditionary marine division in August-September this year revealed that 37 percent of marines complained of depression and family problems caused by the too lengthy separation from their folks due to the periodic missions in Iraq. During the Iraq war the number of divorces in the servicemen's families has grown in a geometric progression.
In addition, over 25 percent of the examined servicemen complained of manifestations of race discrimination, 90 percent of servicewomen and 18 percent of men reported having been subjected to sexual violence or harassment, 67 percent were dissatisfied with the level of material incentives for serving in Iraq, and 64 percent think that the US administration and the Pentagon do not show enough concern for the families of the servicemen stationed in Iraq.
The US military-political leadership is gravely worried by the progressive decrease in the morale of the US servicemen in Iraq, seeing in it one of the main reasons for the weakening combat effectiveness of the troops and the aggravation of the problem of manning the armed forces with a quality personnel.
In this context the Bush administration and the US military command are feverishly seeking ways and means of strengthening the morale and fighting potentiality of the armed forces as a whole and its contingent in Iraq in particular. Lately the commanders of all levels have been recommended to activate the moral incentives for the soldiers and officers, first of all by awarding medals and badges to the most distinguished men, by promoting them to higher posts and ranks. It has been proposed to give awards to all soldiers and officers who served in Iraq for more than 5 months. President Bush and the members of his administration began paying more visits to the troops and military bases trying to raise in this way the morale of the servicemen and their families.
But the Pentagon's main hopes are linked of course to the material incentives. Starting from September 1 this year the amount of the state insurance on the servicemen's life and health has been raised from $50,000 to $400,000. It has been proposed to significantly increase the servicemen's general level of money allowance and the various benefits and compensations for serving in the combat action zone, for special risks, etc. Besides, those who are serving in Iraq have been promised ample opportunities of getting education at the expense of the Department of Defense, and new immigrants would automatically receive US citizenship and a package of social benefits for their families.
However, independent military experts believe that all these measures can at best assuage the current problems of the US servicemen in Iraq, but not remove them. Hence, the morale of the US troops in Iraq is likely to continue falling down. The basic reason for it lies in the very nature of the Iraq war which has long since lost the halo of bringing "justice" and "freedom" to the Iraqi people and is becoming ever more unpopular even in the USA itself. In this sense it gives rise to numerous associations with the war in Vietnam, with a very possible similar end.
