Zenia Helbig, a doctoral student in religious studies at the University of Virginia, claims the Human Terrain System — a U.S. Army program in which social scientists are embedded within military units in Afghanistan and Iraq — is seriously understaffed. She also says the participants’ training has been poor.

But then, maybe Ms. Helbig has an ax to grind. She was dismissed from the program amid an investigation of her national loyalty, shortly before she was to deploy to Iraq. According to the Chronicle, the investigation resulted from a comment that she made over beers late one night last summer: “‘Okay, if we invade Iran, that’s where I draw the line, hop the border, and switch sides.’” (From Campus Watch)