Army nearing breaking point.

Army officials worry that an extended presence in Iraq cannot be sustained with an all-volunteer Army unless troops can be relieved from permanent duty in other parts of the world, such as Western Europe and the Korean peninsula. Negative vibes from Army brass these days hint at serious personnel problems that, according to one four-star general, could "eventually break the Army."

Of the Army's 33 active-duty brigades, 16 are committed--11 in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, two in South Korea and two are being converted to Stryker brigades. The Iraq occupation also has kept four National Guard brigades deployed, for a total of 15 Army brigades. Even with three Marine brigade equivalents in Iraq, there are not enough troops, said the general. "We still don't have the coalition we expected. We are still uncertain about the iraqi security forces," he said. "We are hopeful, but we've had a lot of failed assumptions thus far."