The number of U.S. soldiers forced out of the Army because of crimes or misconduct has soared in the last several years as the military emerges from a decade of war that put a greater focus on battle competence than on character.
Data obtained by the AP show that the number of officers who left the Army due to misconduct more than tripled in the last three years. The number of enlisted soldiers forced out for drugs, alcohol, crimes, and other misconduct rose from about 5,600 in 2007, as the Iraq war peaked, to more than 11,000 last year.
"Sometimes in the past," Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army's top officer, said last week, "we've overlooked character issues because of competence and commitment." - AP