Gates warns DoD of ‘next-war-itis’

[Ilsa]

Gates warns DoD of ‘next-war-itis’

By Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 14, 2008 12:20:22 EDT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Defense Department must focus on current war demands, even if it means straining the U.S. armed forces and devoting less time and money on future threats, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.

Meeting the war-fighting needs of the troops now and taking care of them properly when they get home must be the priority, Gates said in a speech to journalists at a seminar here sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

“I have noticed too much of a tendency towards what might be called Next-War-itis — the propensity of much of the defense establishment to be in favor of what might be needed in a future conflict,” Gates said.

But in a world of limited resources, he said, the Pentagon must concentrate on building a military that can defeat the current enemies: smaller, terrorist groups and militias waging irregular warfare. SNIP

http://www.armytimes.com/

[shain from kane]

1. "Caveat/next-war-itis." Where do they get this shit?