As if there isn’t enough bad news coming out of Iraq, two developments are making me wonder just how much longer the current situation will remain in place before we cry Uncle, or replace the Draught Horse with another kind of draft. First, desertions are at a 27-year high. While this is not that shocking, considering public opinion and the difficulty in Iraq, it does not sound all that well. Isn’t the Army already stretched too far?

Second, Defense Sec. Robert Gates has announced he will begin laying off employees if new war funding is not approved. Gates warned that he would direct the Army and Marines to develop plans to lay off employees and terminate contracts.

My first question is, “Can they do that?” The Army and Marines do not seem like organizations that can lay off their employees without negative consequences. I understand that almost any bureacracy can trim some fat, but how many people will they have to fire to make a dent? To finance just one day of operations, $200 million of payroll cuts would have to be made.

This might not matter, if Congress coughs up the requested amount of taxpayer money. Then again, that would only postpone this same problem, unless Iraq’s future starts looking rosy fast.

Either way, it looks like it is going to be a rough Christmas for Army recruits, recruiters, and staff.