The elite troops of U.S. special operations forces are showing signs of fraying after nearly 10 years at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, their commander said Tuesday.
Adm. Eric T. Olson says that while the number of special operations forces has doubled to about 60,000 over the last nine years, the total of those deployed overseas has quadrupled. Roughly 6,500 special operators are in Afghanistan and about 3,500 are in Iraq, though those numbers can vary as units move in and out of the war zone.
Olson said the demand for the specialized units in Afghanistan is insatiable, forcing troops to deploy to war at a rate that is off the charts. And he said he does not see that demand declining in the next several years.
As the military is forced to become gay friendly, maybe the influx (as seen in TEC) will make up the difference.
A good article. They call ’em “special” for a reason. You wouldn’t believe what these unsung heroes face on our behalf. There must be someone on the inside who thinks it’s time for a little public exposure to shore up support for special ops because normally they stay well under the radar. (Hope this doesn’t post twice, my first attempt didn’t seem to work.)