Just caught up with Rich’s excellent piece from last week about whether we have — or can get — the number of troops needed to win in Iraq.

It’s not hard to understand why personnel levels are feeling the pinch. After all, it’s an all-volunteer military. But here is a question from my no-military-background perspective that better-informed people can hopefully answer. I was struck in reading Rich’s article by the depressed combat-readiness that is apparently due to lack of equipment (e.g., circumstances where we have non-active personnel available to be called on but they’re not combat-ready because we haven’t bought enough equipment).

How is it possible that with all the money Uncle soaks us for, and the huge amount of that pile that goes to the Defense Department, that we don’t have enough equipment? Or am I misunderstanding this? I don’t mean to be smart-alecky — would just like to understand this better.