Iraq troops face parts shortages

ROBERT BURNS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Olympian Online

WASHINGTON -- The Army overcame logistics obstacles in the march to Baghdad last spring, but sustaining the force has become a problem, a senior Army general said Friday.

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"He said they reflect the difficulty of maintaining a high pace of operations in Iraq at the same time the Army remains active in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world."

"He acknowledged that the military underestimated what it would take to sustain the force in Iraq."

"Kern said the Army is spending millions of dollars a day sustaining the force in Iraq, and that the total tab so far is in the billions."