NY Times finds interesting anomaly on desertions

NY Times:

Army prosecutions of desertion and other unauthorized absences have risen sharply in the last four years, resulting in thousands more negative discharges and prison time for both junior soldiers and combat-tested veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army records show.

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OK, that is the lead and it is meant to convey the impression that desertion has become a serious problem for the Army. But in the fifth paragraph we find this:

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The Army prosecuted desertion far less often in the late 1990s, when desertions were more frequent, than it does now, when there are comparatively fewer.

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H,mmm. When prosecutions went up the desertion rate went down. Doesn't that remind you of the classic NY Times anomaly that found crime going down as more people were put in prison?

I think another thing the Times overlooked in its attempt to make a case for a "broken" army for the Democrats is that desertions may also be down because the people are more dedicated to their jobs in a time of war. If people were running away from a stressful deployment why are reenlistments at an all time high?

The fact is that some people are accepted into the army that can't hack it and it a job that you cannot quit. The numbers are still pretty small and do not appear to be a matter of great concern at this time. They are certainly well below the desertion rate of Saddam's army.