On the way home from Casuality tonight I caught a report from NPR on the readiness, or lack thereof, of the Iraqi First Battalion. It was a fairly standard coverage of how they are still disorganized and dependent on the U.S. for guidance and supplies. Which, by the by, seems another example of completely divergent realities between the "treasonous" press and the military. No real shock there.
However, what really caught me off guard is that some Iraqi recruits (unclear how many) must pay a bribe of equivalent to around $600 USD in order to serve in the military. Not only is that an obviously large amount of money in an economy struggling to get back on its feet, but it seems completely absurd that this is still happening. People who volunteer to serve their country (especially one where dying is a very real possibility) deserve support, not a shakedown.
I'm wondering why this doesn't seem to be high on the priority list to prevent from happening? If corruption of the military is allowed to flourish at the recruiting level it's a fairly certain bet that it will continue to grow upward - payoffs for advancement, increase in military supply black markets and generic corruption that will erode any effort to instill a level of discipline and morale necessary to create a much needed security force.
I hope to hell that correcting this behavior is one of our metrics for success in helping to rebuild their military and security forces.