“U.S. reconsiders its '2-war' readiness strategy”, up S*** creek without money to buy a paddle.

[jody]

U.S. reconsiders its '2-war' readiness strategy

WASHINGTON: The protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are forcing the administration of President Barack Obama to rethink what for more than two decades has been a central premise of American strategy: that the nation need only prepare to fight two major wars at a time.

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The discussion is being prompted by a top-to-bottom strategy review that the Pentagon conducts every four years, as required by Congress and officially called the Quadrennial Defense Review. One question on the table for Pentagon planners is whether there is a way to reshape the armed forces to provide for more flexibility in tackling a wide range of conflicts.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"We have Gates and others saying that other parts of the government are under-resourced" and that the Department of Defense should not be called on to do everything, Mr. O'Hanlon said. "That's a good starting point for this — to ask and at least begin answering where it might be better to have other parts of the government get stronger and do a bigger share, rather than the Department of Defense."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The most recent strategy of the administration of George W. Bush, completed four years ago, added requirements that the military be equipped to deal with a broad range of missions in addition to war-fighting, including defeating violent extremists, defending U.S. territory, helping countries at strategic crossroads and preventing terrorists and adversaries from obtaining biological, chemical or nuclear weapons.

Obama and Congress have tough decisions because the bankrupt U.S. cannot borrow enough money to subsidize financial institutions and major multinational manufacturing firms; fund health reform, education reform and welfare reform; and at the same time properly equip our military forces to FIGHT & WIN simultaneously two wars, conqueror Afghanistan and Iraq, threaten Iran on behalf of Israel, and other less publicized conflicts in Africa, Asia, South America, etc.

[babylonsister]

1. Good. If lack of money gets us out of there, so be it.

On a more positive note,

"A big, big step has happened . . . Mullah Omar has given the green light to Afghan peace talks.”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5256068

[gratuitous]

2. Thank you President Bush

We can't fight two elective wars of empire at the same time. Especially not with supply lines that have to stretch halfway around the globe for each of them. I don't know if the "strategists" at the Pentagon or West Point or Annapolis or Colorado Springs will quite be able to figure it out, but the demonstrated fact is that we can't do it. No, not even the richest, most heavily-armed nation on the face of the planet can overcome reality. But don't look for that to set in with our finest military minds anytime soon; they'll keep trying to square the circle, God bless 'em.

And we the people shouldn't mind a bit, should we? It's just our time, talent and treasure being flushed, not anyone or anything important.

[jody]

5. Inescapable truth, "demonstrated fact is that we can't do it". n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Never fear. The Pentagon and MIC lobbyists have a ready supply of bogeymen to trot out.

And, a heap of politicians ready to take "campaign contributions" and wring their hands over America's lack of defense.


“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” H.L. Mencken

[jody]

4. "Never Waste A Crisis" and if one doesn't happen, then create one. Totalitarian governments know

what is best for those who work for their daily bread and our elected and appointed leaders have a divine right to lead us workers in the proper direction.

Oh, don't forget to volunteer to fight and die while invading non-threatening countries and killing millions of innocent people.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. Wasn't all this much cheaper when Russia was doing it for us?? Just

a thought. Let me see... Russia does it, they pay, we do it, we go into a protracted recession or worse.

[jody]

7. Russia's economy collapsed in part because of the arms race. Now the U.S. is determined to repeat

that mistake.