PERISCOPE

Why? "The main reason has been severe restrictions on the types of missions they are allowed to undertake," says a U.S. defense analyst under Pentagon contract who works closely with special-forces units (he declined to be identified because his work is classified). While the Army's Delta Force and the Green Berets get the best "direct action" and unconventional-warfare missions, SEALs say they are often relegated to being VIP escorts in Iraq or to rescue missions, the defense analyst says. Making matters worse is that the Army has locked up most of the senior command.

The result is that hundreds of SEALs have not re-enlisted, while others have resigned their commissions, helping to reduce the SEAL population from about 3,000 to about 2,500, says the defense analyst, citing official Pentagon numbers. Asked to respond, SEALs spokesman Cmdr. Jeff Bender said: "We can't go into the nature of our missions. But I'm unaware of low morale, and I would have to look further into whether re-enlistments are down."

Many SEALs have left for higher-paying jobs--and sometimes better action--with private security firms with a heavy presence in Iraq. The Navy has offered a $150,000 bonus for senior officers who re-enlist for six years. But John Arquilla, who teaches at the Naval postgraduate program at Monterrey, California, says, "These men don't become SEALs for the money, and they don't stay SEALs for the money," he says. "They do what they do for the prospect of action." And these days, they're clearly not getting enough.

--Michael Hirsh and Jamie Reno

Russia: The Truth Be Told

As the sole survivor from the gang of terrorists who took hostage a school in Beslan last summer, 24-year-old Nurpashi Kulayev should be the most hated man in Russia. But since his trial began on May 16, public sentiment toward him has shifted dramatically. Bereaved parents of some of the 330 victims, who once threatened to tear him to pieces, now see Kulayev as their only hope of uncovering exactly what happened inside the school.