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Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move.

Today nearly every combat brigade located within the United States would report that they are not ready for duty. They are at the lowest levels of readiness.

While we are deploying troops in their thousands, we lose the chance to build up their basic skills.

The Obama presidency has seen the U.S. military's elite tactical forces increasingly used in an attempt to achieve strategic goals. But with Special Operations missions kept under tight wraps, Americans have little understanding of where their troops are deployed, what exactly they are doing, or what the consequences might be down the road.

Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the war on terrorism have reduced the pace of military transformation and have revealed our lack of preparation for defensive and stability operations. This Administration has overextended our military.

When an army unit returns from service in Iraq or Afghanistan, it barely gets a breather before it begins training for its next deployment.

Without the Guard and Reserve, our active duty troops could hardly deploy.

The training and equipping of Iraqi security forces should be accelerated.

It won't be a question of how well-trained or well-equipped the army is but one of the authority it serves.