Desertion

AWOL is on the rise. The Guardian link talks about the UK rates escalating. Reference this good article in March's Harper's for some insight into the American escalation of AWOL rates. Some of these reasons are intuitive year-long tours of duty in a confusing war leading to psychological breakdown (often early in the game- before the soldier has even completed Basic), but others point to certain cultural shifts- the violent cultural factor has become divorced and divided from the moderate factor of culture.