The U.S. Army Reserve (fully of weird little logistical units like pipeline companies and well-drilling platoons and bridge units) is being heavily hit to support the war. All Army Reserve units are under strength. When a given unit is called up, other units have to be looted of soldiers and officers to fill the gaps. The problem is that Army Reserve units are organized by region, not function, and the regional organization means that rather than loot a water-purification platoon in Montana to fill a deploying water-purification platoon from Texas, a pipeline company in Oklahoma is tasked to send someone who once (a decade earlier) had experience in water purification. --Stephen V Cole