Assessing the Alignment of U.S. Diplomatic and Military Power to Forestall Armed Conflict
Posted byDivergent Options
September 20, 2021
Michael D. Purzycki is an analyst, writer, and editor based in Arlington, Virginia. He has worked for the United States Marine Corps, the Department of the Navy, and the United States Army. In addition to Divergent Options, he has been published in Charged Affairs, Merion West, the Center for International Maritime Security, the Washington Monthly, Braver Angels, France 24, the Truman National Security Project, and Arc Digital. He can be found on Twitter at @MDPurzycki, and on Medium at
https://mdpurzycki.medium.com/. Divergent Options’ content does not contain information of an official nature nor does the content represent the official position of any government, any organization, or any group.
Title: Assessing the Alignment of U.S. Diplomatic and Military Power to Forestall Armed Conflict
Date Originally Written: August 12, 2021.
Date Originally Published: September 20, 2021.
Author and / or Article Point of View: The author believes an expansion of the Department of State’s Foreign Service, and closer alignment of the efforts of the Departments of State and Defense, can help the United States forestall international conflicts before they turn violent, and give the U.S. military time to modernize and prepare for future conflicts.
Summary: Regardless of whether the U.S. maintains its military edge, unless it invests in other forms of national power, armed conflict is very likely. Without closer alignment between the Department of State and Department of Defense, on a long enough timeline, unnecessary wars will occur.
Text: The United States has the world’s most powerful military. The U.S. military’s budget ($778 billion in 2020, compared to $252 billion for second-largest-spender China)[1], its global reach, and the skills of its personnel[2], are unmatched. Twenty-first century conflict, however, will not always require conventional military strength to win. While there are steps the U.S. military can take to prepare, civilian power can help forestall conflict in the meantime.
https://divergentoptions.org/2021/09/20/aligning-u-s-diplomatic-and-military-power-to-forestall-armed-conflict/
