Can The U.S. Army Fight A Major Conventional War?

Members of Chad’s army trained with American Special Forces last year. Credit Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

New York Times: Long Emphasis on Terror May Hurt U.S. in Conventional War, Army Chief Says

ARUSHA, Tanzania — When Gen. Mark A. Milley, the Army chief of staff, stepped off his jet into the sunshine here on Sunday, it was the first time the Obama administration had sent its top Army officer to Africa for a high-level meeting to get the continent’s fledgling militaries in shape to deal with growing terrorist threats.

As General Milley plunged into three days of talks with senior military officials from 38 African countries, the biggest question facing him was not how the United States would work with those militaries to contain the threats. Among them are four militant groups that American officials say are capable of carrying out attacks in Europe as well as across Africa: the Islamic State affiliate in Libya, Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al Qaeda in northwestern Africa and the Shabab in Somalia.

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WNU Editor: I am sure the U.S. Army is more than capable of fighting a major conventional war .... but I sometimes wonder if the Army is ready to receive the massive casualties that such a conflict will entail. Fighting terror groups in Iraq or Afghanistan may result in a few casualties per day .... fighting a conventional war against North Korea (as an example) .... taht will probably be about a few hundred a day .... at least in the first few months. As to a conflict against Russia or China .... we are then talking about casualty rates and destruction on an even greater scale.