Green Berets' Numbers Fall Short ; Private Sector Spurs Attrition

Summary

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The Army's Green Berets, a key weapon in the war on terror, are operating at under their authorized strength because of the high- attrition qualification course and because of the lure of higher- paying security work at private companies, military officials say.

A number of military analysts and politicians have noted the Green Berets' importance in hunting al Qaeda terrorists and called on the Pentagon to increase significantly the Green Berets' ranks. For example, Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said during the presidential campaign that the number of Green Berets - officially called Special Forces - should double.

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Green Berets' Numbers Fall Short ; Private Sector Spurs Attrition

But an examination by The Washington Times shows that there has been no budget authorization for significantly more Green Berets because Army Special Operations Command cannot fill all the billets it had before the September 11 attacks.

"Sp...

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