Escalation has ‘sucked all the flexibility’ out of the system.

In an interview this week, Army Chief of Staff George Casey said the high troop levels in Iraq are causing growing manpower strains on the Army. The Wall Street Journal reports that Casey offered this candid assessment:

“The surge has sucked all of the flexibility out of the system,” Army Chief of Staff George Casey said in an interview this week. “And we need to find a way of getting back into balance.”

UPDATE: Lawrence Korb and Brian Katulis: “After the Surge: U.S. Army Chief of Staff Casey Is Right to Be Worried”