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Pregnancy vs. readiness

Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo, commander of Multi-National Division-North in Iraq, learned a thing or two about messaging after threatening courts-martial for soldiers, male or female, involved in war-zone pregnancies.

The National Organization for Women criticized the move, as did female Democratic senators and others who said it could deter women from service and pregnant troops from getting medical care.

Moreover, some said, the threatened punishment was far harsher than necessary to meet Cucolo’s aim: to ensure all deployed troops remain available to serve their full war tours.

Cucolo quickly backed off after receiving, as he put it, “great guidance and great professional development” from his boss, Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey.

But the issue at hand reflects a valid underlying concern of war commanders — readiness.

Keeping each and every service member in the fight is critical to unit cohesion and effectiveness, and it is an increasing challenge after eight years of war.

More than 3.3 million troops have served war tours since 2001. About 800,000 of those have served more than one tour — and some have served four or five. The pace has taken a toll both on troops and loved ones back home.

Army leaders are actively rooting out soldiers who have not served war tours, pulling them from assignments that have kept them out of harm’s way. The Air Force has a campaign to strip the undeserving of deployment exemptions, whether for training assignments or medical waivers.

To help support the Army and Marine Corps, the Navy has thousands of sailors serving in the war zones as “individual augmentees.”

Whatever one’s opinion of Cucolo’s order, motivating troops to keep themselves ready and fit for duty is a critical obligation of all commanders.