How The U.S. Fights Two Wars With The Manpower And Resources At Hand

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ottmar salutes the flag during a ceremony dedicated to the handing over of an Iraqi government house back to local officials in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, on Aug. 5, 2008. Ottmar is assigned to 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. DoD photo by Spc. Richard Del Vecchio, U.S. Army. (Released)

War On Two Fronts, Without Railways -- Defense And The National Interest

One way to look at the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is to see them as one war with two fronts. Germany fought two-front wars twice in the 20th century, and it was almost able to prevail because it had the advantage of interior lines. The German Army could quickly shift divisions and corps from the Eastern to the Western front or vice versa, using the superb German rail system. Unfortunately, the U.S. lacks the advantage of interior lines in its ongoing two-front war. No railways run from Baghdad to Kabul.

U.S. commanders in Afghanistan have reportedly requested an additional 10,000 troops. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was recently quoted in the Washington Post as telling the Senate Armed Services Committee, “I believe we will be able to meet that commanders’ requirement, but in the spring and summer of 2009…we do not have the forces to send three additional brigades to Afghanistan at this point.”

The only source for additional troops for Afghanistan is Iraq. The September 2008 issue of Army magazine quotes Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen as saying, “I don’t have troops I can reach for, brigades I can reach, to send into Afghanistan until I have a reduced requirement in Iraq.”

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My Comment: How the U.S. fights two wars with the manpower and resources that it has .... the answer is .... with difficulty.