US Army not ready to ‘fight tonight,’ internal survey suggests, as Pentagon insists everything is fine
26 Oct, 2021 22:12 / Updated 5 hours ago
Only one in seven respondents in a recent US Army survey said they’d be ready to deploy and fight immediately, with generals far more confident of readiness than warrant officers. The army downplayed the figures, however.
Some 5,400 soldiers and civilians were asked if their unit was ready to deploy, fight and win anywhere in the world. Only 14% said 'Yes, immediately.' Another 13% said they would need more time, such as a week (3%) or a month (4%), according to a report by Foreign Policy on Tuesday.
There was a noticeable gap between generals, 40% of whom were confident of immediate deployment, and warrant officers, where that number was just under 20%.
Foreign Policy obtained the results of the survey through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. It was conducted in July and August 2020 – at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and a year before the helter-skelter US exit from Afghanistan. Of those surveyed, 56% said the deployment question did not apply, likely because they were civilian employees of the military.
https://www.rt.com/usa/538530-army-ready-fight-survey/
