 |
| Image Oocities.com |
As the pandemic-strapped U.S. continues into a second decade of the war on
terror and a new war on COVID 19 our citizens and our volunteer military are growing disinterested in warfare and focused on re-aligning our priorities.
The Military Industrial Complex (MIC) has made grand strides in technology, spending billions on new air craft and naval
vessels, cyber warfare tools and sensors, while we have downsized combat soldiers
to stand in the job line or wait for admission to veterans’ hospitals as our health care infrastructure was sacrificed for war profiteering.
CRITERIA
FOR WINNING
“THE
ATLANTIC”
“Although
no one can agree on an exact figure, our dozen years of war in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and neighboring countries have cost at least $1.5 trillion.
Yet
from a strategic perspective, to say nothing of the human cost, most of these
dollars might as well have been burned. “At this point, it is incontrovertibly
evident that the U.S. military failed to achieve any of its strategic goals in
Iraq,” a former military intelligence officer named Jim Gourley wrote recently
for Thomas E. Ricks’s blog, Best Defense. “Evaluated according to the goals set
forth by our military leadership, the war ended in utter defeat for our
forces.”
In
13 years of continuous combat under the Authorization for the Use of Military
Force, the longest stretch of warfare in American history, U.S. forces have
achieved one clear strategic success: the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
Their many other tactical victories, from overthrowing Saddam Hussein to
allying with Sunni tribal leaders to mounting a “surge” in Iraq, demonstrated
great bravery and skill. But they brought no lasting stability to, nor advance
of U.S. interests in, that part of the world.
When
ISIS troops overran much of Iraq, the
forces that laid down their weapons and fled before them were members of the
same Iraqi national army that U.S. advisers had so expensively yet
ineffectively trained for more than five years.”
The Tragedy of the American Military
RISK ASSESSMENT
Our government has not
considered the risks, the indigenous cultural impact, the expense and the
sacrifices required to sustain the nation building that must occur after we
invade countries in pursuit of perceived enemies and place the burden of
governance on military personnel who are not equipped to deal with it or manage USAID
contractors who have profit motives in mind and corruption as a regular practice.
“POGO”
"Cost-plus
contracts have long been criticized by government watchdogs like the Project On Government Oversight
and waste-conscious lawmakers. Most recently, incoming Senate Armed Services
Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) bluntly stated that
these contracts are “disgraceful” and should be banned."
Your Tax Dollars Defrauded
THOSE
WHO HAVE FOUGHT ASK GOOD QUESTIONS
‘NEW YORK TIMES”
“There
are 26 veterans from the United States’ two most recent wars serving in the
House and Senate.
Many
say their experience in Iraq and Afghanistan taught them that the American
military cannot fix what is fundamentally a cultural and political issue: the
inability of governments to thwart extremism within their own borders.
Ted
Lieu of California, said he would not support giving the president the formal
authority he had requested because, like many veterans, he finds it difficult
to see how the conflict will ever end.
“The American military is an
amazing force. We are very good at defeating the enemy, taking over territory,
blowing things up,” said Mr. Lieu, who served in the Air Force and remains in
the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel. “But America has traditionally
been very bad at answering the next question, which is what do you do after
that.”
Veterans of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan now serving in Congress have emerged as some of the most important
voices in the debate over whether to give President Obama
a broad authorization for a military campaign against the Islamic State or
something much more limiting.”
NO SKIN IN THE GAME
"THE ATLANTIC"
“A people untouched (or seemingly untouched) by war
are far less likely to care about it,” Andrew Bacevich wrote in 2012. Bacevich
himself fought in Vietnam; his son was killed in Iraq. “Persuaded that they
have no skin in the game, they will permit the state to do whatever it wishes
to do.”
The Tragedy of the American Military
BUYING OUR WAY OUT?
Foreign
aid in the billions continues to the Middle East. US weapons export sales have reached a
crescendo, increasing by 31% to 94 countries. with the Middle East receiving
the line share.
A single Weapon, the 1.4 Trillion dollar
F-35 will soon account for 12% of our total national debt.
QUOTE BY ERIC PRINCE, EX- CEO BLACKWATER:
“NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE”
"The world is a much more
dangerous place, there is more radicalism, more countries that are melting down
or approaching that state."
At the same time, the Pentagon is
under growing pressure to cut spending and the cost of the all-volunteer force
keeps rising, Prince said.
"The U.S. military has mastered
the most expensive way to wage war, with a heavy expensive footprint."
Over the long run, the military might have to rely more on contractors, as it
will become tougher to recruit service members.
Prince cited recent statistics that 70
percent of the eligible population of prospective troops is unsuitable to serve
in the military for various reasons such as obesity, lack of a high school
education, drug use, criminal records or even excessive tattoos. In some cases,
Prince said, it might make more sense to hire contractors.”
QUESTIONS
FOR THE READER:
Did not the Roman Empire run
into these issues when they outsourced their wars and went to the baths?
 |
| Image: Photolibra |
What makes us believe this worldwide war of attrition can continue indefinitely and
that our younger generations are going to be willing to enlist and/or pay the
bills, especially when our health care is now at the top of the agenda.
Can we insist our government representatives consider
these factors and plan ahead?
Future generations, their wealth, health and treasure will
depend on our answers.
