Really, can the news from Iraq get much worse?

Friday, the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department reported that six in every 10 women who have served in the National Guard and reserves say they were sexually harassed or assaulted. Sadly, fewer than one in every four of those soldiers reported the abuse to higher-ups.

Even more shocking, one in every 10 female guard or reserve members reported having been raped.

Not all guard and reserve soldiers have been to Iraq. But the recent reports for women soldiers having served there shows a shocking number having been raped, groped, harassed or simply sent home because they are pregnant.

This has been a persistent problem in the all-volunteer Army, and it will only worsen as the proportion of female soldiers in the ranks grows.

It’s time for the U.S. military and Congress to admit that something’s broken here, and it must be affecting the morale of soldiers, their effectiveness in battle and the recruiting of new soldiers.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Gen. George Casey testified that the number of battle-ready Iraqi battalions capable of operating without U.S. support has shrunk from three to one.

“I mean, we’re making assessments on personnel, on leadership, on training,” Casey said Thursday. “There are a lot of variables that are involved here.”

Hey, general, let’s hear it straight. Are they quitting, getting killed, running away or deserting?

Certainly, they aren’t all getting battle ribbons and retiring. Something’s going on here, and the general probably knows what it is.