The
technology of war has changed at an unbelievable rate since my years in
uniform. The cost of military hardware
has spiraled upward in synchronicity with the technical complexity of armaments
and delivery platforms.
The basic
infantry load out called for an M-16 rifle with open/iron battle sights. Today’s analogous trooper may carry an
individual M-4 carbine, descendant of the CAR-15 of my war, but augmented with
laser range finders, infrared sights, flashlights designed to blind an
opponent, and other toys and tools intended to make each bullet fired inflict
harm. Troopers now carry individual
communications devices, night vision goggles, and much more effective body
armor.
All the
delivery platforms, ships, planes, cannon, tanks, and other equipment that is
used in today’s wars have resulted in greatly expanded budgets for each unit in
today’s military. The Pentagon is a money-ingesting organ of diplomacy. It typically exists in a demand for funding
that puts it in competition with other government agencies. In times of no war, the option to reduce
military funding can be exercised, if done with care and concern, and result in
decreased military spending such as took place during several periods after this
nation’s wars.
We are
attempting to end a war in Afghanistan that has been part of the problem
wrecking our economy since 2001. There
should be, a chance for our military to retool, to stand-down weapons platforms
that are aging and therefore more costly and dangerous to operate. We should review what types and what levels
of standing forces we need to have on active duty and available for instant
deployment. We need to decide what our
major military concerns will be, where we will deploy troops and when.
We have,
since WWII, maintained land, air, and naval forces in Europe. We’ve simultaneously maintained a large naval
presence in the Pacific and Indian oceans to prevent piracy and to project power
in the nations around those oceans. We
still deploy Ohio class submarines armed with Trident ballistic missiles and
fast attack subs armed with cruise missiles.
When it comes
down to set-piece engagements, we stand head and shoulders over any other
military in the world. We have the biggest fleet, the most aircraft, and our
armor and artillery are the benchmark for military hardware.
In brushfire
wars, in conflict with terrorists and in asymmetrical warfare, we have the hardware
superiority but religious fanaticism and ideological fanaticism can and do
defeat modern armies. In a war with no
clear endpoint, modern armies have no way to define victory. Defeat is somewhat easier to define if not to
swallow.
The Romney-Ryan
campaign calls for shoveling money at the Pentagon that it frankly has not
requested. The teavangelist/GOP machine
wants to continue building a standing military that can re-fight WWII. It wants to go head-to-head with China, to
stir up a war with Iran, and is criticizing Obama for not forcing the Arab
states to install governments based upon what they think ours should be,
Christian theocracies disguised as democracies.
That the Muslim Brotherhood has taken power in Egypt angers them. The delay in becoming involved in Arab states
internal politics was a wise decision. Whichever
way those winds blow, they will blow against the United States.
Further
complicating the picture, these unrequested military funds will be proposed by
a party that simultaneously refuses to raise taxes in order to produce the
revenue needed to pay for this chicken hawks’ wet dream. In fact, Romney-Ryan propose to further cut
taxes for the wealthy, leaving the middle class to pay the freight while the
teavangelist/GOP peddles trickle-down economics and cuts all the social safety
nets. Some madness has convinced them
that demolishing those social programs that actually do make a difference in
the lives of our citizens will cause money and jobs to flow back from overseas
where Romney and others hide wealth and where American jobs now exist.
In short,
Obama has spent his first term in office actually finding, targeting, and
eliminating the terrorists who attacked American ships and American
citizens. Romney-Ryan and the
teavangelists in Congress, if they are elected, will spend their first term
subjugating women, demanding theocracy, and delaying the intellectual growth of
America’s young children by abolishing educational television and public radio.
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