More than three years and $15 billion into the U.S. effort to rebuild Iraqi forces, “ghost soldiers” still help fill Iraq’s army ranks and no one knows how many trained policemen remain on the job, the Pentagon and U.S. government investigators report.the article has a tone of caution about these ghost soldiers, but i, for one, welcome our insubstantial brethren's service. if you think about it, it really does make sense. u.s. and allied forces are stretched thin in iraq and recruitment of the living is becoming increasingly difficult. the big untapped reservoir of talent in iraq is the dead. and the pool of potential deceased recruits is growing every blood-drenched day!
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In its latest quarterly Iraq report, the Pentagon said 328,700 Iraqis have been trained for the security forces, including 136,400 soldiers — more than double the numbers of two years ago. But it added in the next sentence that the “actual number of present-for-duty soldiers is about one-half to two-thirds of the total due to scheduled leave, absence without leave, and attrition.”
Many Iraqis go on authorized leaves for days to deliver their cash pay to their families. The Pentagon said Iraq’s defense and interior ministers also are aware of “ghost” soldiers and policemen who exist only on paper — a fraudulent device by which units can receive additional per capita resources, and corrupt officials can collect nonexistent recruits’ pay.
American commanders in the field attest to the impact of deserters, nonexistent soldiers and other attrition on Iraqi army battalions’ strength.
“The battalions out here are about 50 percent,” Col. William B. Crowe, a U.S. regimental commander in the embattled western province of Anbar, told reporters in January.
rather than worry about ghost soldiers, we should be actively recruiting them. not only do they allow us to meet our quotas for building the iraq army, ghost solders are cheaper than their living equivalents. they don't have to eat, so think of all the money we could save on food. they don't need barracks, ghosts don't sleep and prefer to wander all night anyway. most importantly, there's no need for expensive body armor either. bullets pass right through!
(via think progress)
