"CJ probably believes what most liberals believe, that our military should turn into a much smaller task force"
Not sure what most liberals believe.
We need a military that can fight the wars we are likely to be in, instead of standing down the Soviets in Europe. The current situation is that a squad of men with man portable equipment can take on anything on the battlefield except for our stuff. If they can see it, they can kill it. So that, combined with greater and greater C3 means it doesn't really matter how many tanks, helicopters et al they can field. Between our people on the ground and out air superiority, no one has a chance in a conventional military campaign.
Our biggest problem is COIN. Now UAVs go a long way to solving this problem. But it also requires a different approach than conventional military campaigns. It takes people knowledgeable about the cultures and conditions where the COIN is occurring. And it involves much more than just shooting people, it involves tailoring a solution for the specific circumstances.
Finally, we need to be able to put 10k plus boots on the ground anywhere on the globe within 24 hours. The less time and the more boots the better.
We should not be in the business of nation building. Biggest reason, the military is only a small piece of that particular puzzle. In Empire times, the British had mastered that art. But the whole country was dedicated to the task. We won't do that. Doing it half-assed is worse than not doing it at all.
So, Tenchu, what do you think our military should be? Just keep doing what we always do and, per usual, get blindsided every time we have to fight? |
