President Obama is proposing significant cuts in military spending, primarily, it appears, in the number of Soldiers and Marines.
In principle, I have no problem reducing the number of boots. I am not fond of a standing Army. A lean, capable and professional Marine Corps is all we need on active duty as regards putting boots on the ground to hold a piece of real estate when it really matters.
We can call up volunteers to fill Army boots if we get into a pickle. Such an arrangement would also inhibit the Executive's ability to launch incursion after incursion. If people refuse to show up when called, because they do not support the mission, we'll be far less Imperial.
Our defense as a nation in today's world can be handled by a prudently designed and outfitted Navy for global force projection, and leave the skies and space to the Air Force. Drones can be deployed to do considerable work, without risking your son's life. Our nuclear Big Stick will keep serious threats at bay.
Of course, all of this is contingent upon having Leaders who will pull the trigger when necessary.
But We the People will be far less imperiled if we reduce the number of combat-ready Soldiers in uniform, looking for something to blow up and someone to kill. And no American should be on station to die for Europeans or Koreans.
In principle I'm supportive of this move. But the devil is in the details.
Here's one story on the topic.
Kerodin
III
What happens to all the troops who leave the service after this and come home to a cratered economy? If the only people hiring are our newly emerging stasi, this could be an extremely bad place to be. It doesn't have to be all of them or even most - if you have enough coming back in that situation, tyranny at home just got cheaper to implement.
ReplyDeleteAnon: No doubt some will, and some will go the PMC route. But it is better to start the wind-down ASAP.
ReplyDeleteK
I think this is a great reason to do some III'per outreach. We want those boys on our team.
ReplyDeleteI've long said that a significant reduction in force, with a concommitant rise in the caliber of training (I'm NOT saying that this hasn't happened during GWOT, it has), would provide us a BETTER professional NCO corps around whom we could build a volunteer militia army when necessary, as was the original intent of a regular army. I'd maintain the current SF groups, with their operational orientations, and add a conventional brigade per operational area, and focus on building a core corps ( :-) ) around which the volunteer call-up could be built when necessary. Perhaps a QRF in the form of one MEU or an expanded Ranger Regiment (I AM an Army guy, after all....), and focus on calling up state musters annually or bi-annually.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama's lack of any understanding of military affairs whatsoever, is reflected in the proposed plan of focusing on cyber and drones...Only a novice would continue the Clinton-era mistakes of overlooking the criticality of boots on the ground.
Anony asks what happens with these returing troops when there's no work for them?...
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest we get in touch with the local Vet's Club and offer some kind of work- any kind, such as carpentry or landscaping- ANYthing that we can to give them some cash inflow and a golden opportunity to sit and chat over a cuppa coffee or a beer in the late afternoon?
Really- the reason there's so little work for them is we're all thinking 'factory', etc. Give them our needs and they'll answer the call, IMO.