WASHINGTON: In war, as in stand-up comedy, timing is everything, and Gen. Ray Odierno’s timing could hardly be worse.

This week, in the prestigious journal Foreign Policy, the Army Chief of Staff published an essay on “The Force of Tomorrow” that is long, thoughtful, a little bland –- and completely overtaken by events. It hit the Pentagon’s Early Bird news digest, for example, on Tuesday, when Washington policymakers were riveted by the back-and-forth between the White House and Republicans over how to fix sequestration and the continuing resolution, which the Army’s own (leaked) documents show could cripple training and readiness, making them by far the most urgent issue facing the service. Keep reading →