WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Almost 90 percent of senior U.S. officers polled for the annual Military Index believe the military is near breaking, a think tank reported Tuesday.
While 88 percent of respondents said the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have stretched the military dangerously thin, 56 percent said the breaking point has not yet been reached, the Center for a New American Security said.
The center and Foreign Policy magazine surveyed more than 3,400 officers, both active and retired, holding the rank of major or lieutenant commander or higher.
The officers were most concerned about the Army. Asked to rate the services on a scale of one to 10 with 10 meaning "completely ready to deploy," the Army averaged 4.7, followed by the Marine
Corps at 5.7, the Air Force at 6.6 and the Navy with 6.8.
Morale remains high despite the problems, the officers said.
While 88 percent said the increase in U.S. forces in Iraq known as the surge and Gen. David Petraeus's counter-insurgency strategy had improved the situation, a majority said Iran or China would be the big winners in Iraq, not the United States.
