- With two days left in the month, US causalities in Iraq reached 330 for the last three months. For the first time ever deaths exceeded 100 on three consecutive months. June also marked the 5th time in the last 9 months deaths exceeded 100. This quarter is also no an aberration. January-March marked the first time deaths reached 80 on three consecutive months. Sadly, that quarter already looks like "good times."
Its not just Iraq either. 50 US and 48 Coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan this year putting OEF on pace to exceed last years total. In fact, Afghanistan has had increasing death total every year.
A little perspective on what 330 dead means:
At that rate, we lose a Battalion of soldiers a year.
Given the "normal" 10-1 ratio of deaths to injured, that’s a Brigade out of the fight every 3 months, a Division a year.
We have to recruit 18,800 new service members just to replace those killed or injured (30% of recruits never make it though the initial entry process). This assumes none of the injured return to duty. This may be a bad assumption but I believe the injured are significantly under reported and those reported are injured enough not to continue service.
And don’t think its going to get any better any time soon. As is so often said, the "surge" is only now in place meaning the number of US troops exposed to danger has reached its current peak. Since IEDs are the #1 killer of soldiers, causality levels are a function of exposure and more troops means more opportunities to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
This
Must
Stop