As a former Army officer, I feel very protective of the military, especially the Army. When I read of major re-organizations, especially by a Commander-In-Chief who is not a veteran, I become very worried, indeed.
But, when I put on my economist hat, I understand the urgency. The inability of Congress to either raise taxes or cut entitlements strangled our military. We could preserve the military if we raised taxes or cut entitlements or preferably both.
Still, the military has to do its own soul-searching. It was recently described as an HMO that occasionally kills a terrorist. They too must cut their entitlements.
In addition, we cannot afford to fight two traditional heavy-metal wars on different fronts, like Iraq and Afghanistan, even if the Chinese are willing to lend us the money. When I was in Special Forces school in 1968, I was taught the ultimate weapon is not the nuclear bomb, nor aircraft carriers, nor bombers, nor heavily-armored tanks. The ultimate weapon is the guerrilla fighter, which is what we've been fighting, in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The military has to stop "fighting-the-last-war."
Fortunately, this gutting of the military will be a slow-motion train wreck, and I'll be watching it carefully.
But, when I put on my economist hat, I understand the urgency. The inability of Congress to either raise taxes or cut entitlements strangled our military. We could preserve the military if we raised taxes or cut entitlements or preferably both.
Still, the military has to do its own soul-searching. It was recently described as an HMO that occasionally kills a terrorist. They too must cut their entitlements.
In addition, we cannot afford to fight two traditional heavy-metal wars on different fronts, like Iraq and Afghanistan, even if the Chinese are willing to lend us the money. When I was in Special Forces school in 1968, I was taught the ultimate weapon is not the nuclear bomb, nor aircraft carriers, nor bombers, nor heavily-armored tanks. The ultimate weapon is the guerrilla fighter, which is what we've been fighting, in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The military has to stop "fighting-the-last-war."
Fortunately, this gutting of the military will be a slow-motion train wreck, and I'll be watching it carefully.
