Just posted at Michael Yon’s website is a superb memo from retired General Barry McCaffrey on the state of affairs in Iraq. You won’t find a more honest assessment that better summarizes what went right and what went wrong in 2007. Read the whole thing here. While the focus of the memo is justly centered on the Iraqi theater of the war, I found that McCaffrey’s frustration with the current state of the U.S. Armed Forces was more effective in addressing the roots of our problems in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bottom line up front, the military is inadequately equipped, under funded, over tasked, and simply too small to meet America’s global commitments. While there exists a growing movement in the Pentagon to undo 16 years of uninterrupted budget and manning cuts to the Armed Forces, McCaffrey is the highest ranking officer (retired or active duty) to properly communicate the seriousness of the situation. Here are his specifics: The Army needs more BCTs:

The National Guard and Reserves require overhaul: