Article: Military Force Transformation & The Big "D"

I was forwarded an excellent op-ed post from a Marine Captain in today's NYT. Entitled: Don't Dumb Down our Military, it discusses the practical battle-tested positive aspects of maintaining a well-trained, motivated all-volunteer force and serves as yet another strong argument against re-instating the draft ever again.
Now, it should first be noted that military conscription (a.k.a 'The Draft') is not under serious consideration at this time, but as is the case in times of war, someone invariably drops the "D" word and politicians posture and prattle on about the lack of social equality on the battlefield. Bottom line: Its the race-card, played on the assumption that the less fortunate are, by virtue of their lack of occupational options, being forced to do the dirty work of the power elite.
There are several reasons I find this position disturbing. One is that is serves only to perpetuate the minority victim story. We're asked to suppose that the "less fortunate" are, in large part, America's minorities and that the "power elite" are, in general, old, rich and (naturally) white men. The op-ed author dispels this myth accordingly:
Some supporters of the draft argue that America's wars are being fought primarily by minorities from poor families who enlisted in the economic equivalent of a Hail Mary pass. They insist that the sacrifices of citizenship be shared by all Americans. The sentiment is correct, but the outrage is misplaced. There is no cannon-fodder underclass in the military. In fact, front-line combat troops are a near-perfect reflection of American male society.
Yes, some minority men and women enlist for lack of other options, but they tend to concentrate in support jobs where they can learn marketable skills like driving trucks or fixing jets, not throwing grenades and setting up interlocking fields of machine gun fire. African-Americans, who comprise nearly 13 percent of the general population, are over represented in the military at more than 19 percent - but they account for only 10.6 percent of infantry soldiers, the group that suffers most in combat. Hispanics, who make up 13.3 percent of the American population, are underrepresented at only 11 percent of those in uniform.
Interestingly enough, many of the politicians that pander to their minority constituencies with this lofty egalitarianism are, in fact old, rich and white themselves and their efforts are mostly cynical, pretentious attempts at playing champion of the underclass; a role I would think any self-respecting minority would find offensive. I say cynical because there is virtually no chance in hell a draft would be passed without a full-scale invasion of the U.S. homeland being imminent, but they still get the credit for 'trying'.
Another, more crucial objection I have to this misguided notion of battlefield-inequality is that it would serve only to degrade the operational capabilities and morale of our fighting force and would introduce thousands of living, breathing diplomatic liabilities into the most culturally sensitive situational environments.
As the author rightly suggests, conscription is precisely the wrong direction for military force transformation. But I'll got it one further: The status quo isn't good enough either. A cursory observation of the military's recruitment advertising demographic tells the story - they're looking for teenagers. And not that they shouldn't, to some degree. But they spend virtually not time or money recruiting professional, educated men and women.
On the surface, there are many possible reasons for the traditional military ranging from familial responsibilities to economics, inertia ("old dog/new tricks") or even just a more acute sense of one's own mortality - all valid reasons to prefer the "young and dumb and...(you know the rest)" over the more seasoned folk. That is, for the traditional military with its traditional mission. But to win the wars of the 21st century it will take our best and brightest and most motivated. To build failed states into viable nations will take professional skill sets and experience that can only come from men and women from our academic and corporate worlds. To promote understanding and goodwill we need a new standard of Warrior-Diplomat. We need individuals well-versed in culture, well-traveled and easily adaptable to shifting social customs. The "sailor on shore leave" stereotype has no place in the 21st century American military.Even in my as yet short time in the Army Reserve, its is abundantly clear that there would be use for two, three or even four times the number of existing units similar to my own Civil Affairs brigade. It seems logical that as we recognize the inescapable reality of future nation-building projects in the developing world, that we enlist the help of those non-traditional age citizen-soldiers. The prevailing traditions and myths that preclude many from even considering military service beyond their mid-20's must be shattered so that we may attract those talents that can fill gaping holes in our administrative battle-plans.

Article: Fear, Ignorance and Defeatism on the Home-Front

Why does it seem that so many actually want our endeavors to spread a lasting stability in the Middle East to fail? Is it not somewhat pathological to desire such an outcome when so many lives hang in the balance? And I don't just mean millions of nameless, faceless non-American lives that so many here seem to lose no sleep over. If we fail here, as we did in Somalia, as we did in Lebanon and in Vietnam it will set back progressive interventionist U.S. foreign policy a generation. If the United States loses the will to export security to the developing world, there will be no one left with the will or the means to fulfill that role and millions, perhaps billions will suffer as a result.
Just as the souls lost in the killing fields of Cambodia, the frozen wastelands of Siberia and the pogroms of China's Great Leap Forward conveniently do not enter in to our debate on U.S. Cold War policy, so too would be the temptation to ignore the human cost of our extrication from the developing world. But this time, the victims won't be of some ideologue’s pathology, but from the apathy and cowardice of a developed world that acknowledges their humanity long enough only to extract their resources and exploit their cheap labor for a tidy profit. And this time the developing world will exhibit an increasing willingness to export back to us regular, horrific reminders of the reality we will have abandoned them to.
If one were look beyond the religious fundamentalist rhetoric of Osama bin Laden, they would see a perception of our culture as nothing more than shallow, indifferent and exploitative opportunism. However, I believe most anger toward the United States as standard-bearer of the emerging global culture is more a case of unrequited love than of true hatred. For the average human who has close to nothing, America still symbolized a hope, a promise of a better life. But as the self-appointed "Champions of Human Dignity and Freedom" our double-standard is painfully evident to those on the outside. For all of our flowery, self-aggrandizing labels none have ever inspired much of an evangelical nature amongst the average citizen for the rights of others- at least not for those who happen to exist beyond our borders. This fatal apathy has never been wrought from an active, malicious neglect - which is why it remains a concept so hard for most Americans to grasp. When confronted with the reality of the rest of humanity and our indifference to it, the tendency is to react defensively - reflexively spouting proud platitudes about the "generosity of America". This typically involves some reference to things done two generations ago, like the Marshal plan or the reconstruction of Japan. Statistics are carelessly regurgitated about the United States being the largest provider of foreign aid in the world; a statement made either out of ignorance or gross disingenuousness as, based on the more accurate measurement of percentage of GDP, we rank as one of the most stingy, somewhere just below Portugal.
To extend the oft-used analogy of the United States as the "shining city on the hill", it would seem our citizenry is more interested in building walls around the city than expanding our circle of prosperity and human dignity. Xenophobia has exploded back onto the scene (if it ever left) as the discourse on issues that have been around for decades like health care and criminal justice take on a decidedly anti-immigrant tone. "Homeland Security" has become a national obsession as fear seems to control the actions of more and more American minds. As this happens, the inclination to look beyond ourselves to understand and confront the systemic problems that bring about the human misery just outside our "borders" is severely curtailed. Instead of focusing our attention on the brutal realities that foster the kind of hatred displayed on September 11th, we are losing sight of them in an increasingly self-interested, protectionist mindset.

“To avoid destruction the United States need only measure up to its own best traditions and prove itself worthy of preservation as a great nation.” ~ George F. Keenan

Article: Another Casualty of Fear, Another Win For Terrorism

This week the Philippine government, due to the kidnapping of one of their nationals, began withdrawing its small contingent of troops from Iraq. They were scheduled to return home on August 21st anyway, but the fact that they have acquiesced to the demands of thugs and murderers is a disgrace. On the surface it may seem like a small, symbolic victory for our enemies, which would be bad enough, but there’s more to it than that. President Arroyo is additionally calling for the withdrawal of several thousand Filipino private contractors in Iraq, most of whom work in the medical sector. This would make it a significant defeat for the Iraq people as well.With international headlines spouting defeatism like U.S. Coalition in Iraq Shrinking, I can’t see how a decision like this does anything but encourage and embolden our enemies. They may have saved one life, but it is certain, just as the Spanish have ensured that terrorism will become a part of the Western electoral landscape, the Filipinos have only helped to establish kidnapping as a viable tactic. I mourn in advance the countless other kidnapping victims that are sure to follow from this act of national cowardice.

Standing Up For the Sudan

Its been going on for sixteen months now but we’re now finally starting to see some real pressure on the Sudanese government from members of the international community and some of our own elected leadership are taking a more proactive approach to call attention to the genocide. Still, its sad to think that the only aspect of this tragedy that has prevented it from being on par with Rwanda is the killer’s pace.
The Bush Administration is making timid, if not admirable, diplomatic progress on this issue, but what is unfortunate is that it is yet another missed opportunity for them to prove how serious they are about stabilizing the Middle East. Every humanitarian disaster of this magnitude that is not given the Administration’s full attention is a liability for Bush’s assertion that he stands for progressive, interventionist rehabilitation of the entirety of non-functioning nation states, not just one’s of immediate strategic national interest. This is the perfect opportunity to prove our sincerity and to articulate a bold, progressive and positive vision of bringing freedom and justice to everyone and we’re blowing it! It should be additionally noted that weak, non-effectual or non-existent central governments in countries like Sudan provide safe havens to our enemies. A strong case can be made that there is no place left on earth that does not lie on the critical path of our "national interest".The case for immediate international intervention must be argued vigorously and the lead must be taken by the United States.

Article: McWorld vs. Cultural Heritage

Why do so called progressives insist that engagement with the developing world will destroy their culture and rich heritage? What heritage are they referring to: Genocide, slavery, AIDS, Cholera, infant mortality, ignorance, illiteracy, famine, female oppression, a thirty-three year life span? I understand their concern, I honestly do. I mean, I don't like the idea of proud, young tribesmen zoning out on a Playstation or the Serengeti littered with Coke cans and Big Mac containers either, but let's face it, these scenes of Western encroachment degrading the pristine landscape of the "unspoiled" lands and peoples of the developing world are figments of our imagination. Not one of the social dysfunctions of the West can compare to the crushing, Hobbesian cruelty of the maladies listed above that define the lives of millions living in utter, hopeless destitution.
I think its time we put to rest the false, pseudo-sentimental notion that progress and culture are mutually exclusive and that economic prosperity must somehow have an American-flavored homogeneity about it. We're not the Borg! Each culture that has been "assimilated" into the functioning, integrated world has successfully adapted the mostly economic standards and practices into their existing culture and all but a small minority of concerned traditionalists (like our Christian Fundamentalists here at home) consider these developments positive and progressive.
What American influences that have found there way into other cultures is a result of a free and democratic, global competition of ideas. The Japanese may drink more Pepsi than Sake these days, and you may think that a travesty, but then hey, they gave us Anime and Pokemon and yet somehow, we all survived...although Pokemania nearly drove me to commit Seppuku.
The often garish, neon world of Western capitalism can be nauseating to those who have grown up in its glowing, hot-pink embrace and its understandable that there are those who do not wish to inflict the dark and ugly facets of the post-industrial age onto anyone else, but it is not our right to preclude entire nations from making that choice for themselves. I can assure you that there are millions of Africans and Central Asians that would gladly put up with the gridlock, annoying cell-phone ring tones and reality television, just for a drink from your garden hose.

Happy Birthday, America!

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face in marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

~Theodore Roosevelt