Reloading U.S. military credibility
By James A. Lyons - - Thursday, November 24, 2016
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
As has been seen over the last eight years, diplomacy that results in capitulation is not very effective. The key underlying factor for successful diplomacy is not just having a clear understanding of our vital strategic objectives, but also the military credibility to achieve those objectives as necessary.
As a first order of business, we need to review and redefine our strategic objectives and what is vital to our national interest. For example, does our current involvement in Afghanistan make any sense as it relates to our vital strategic interests? Of course not. So why do we continue to expend our national treasure to sustain a corrupt tribal society?
Concurrently, in order to restore our world leadership credentials we must reverse the decline of our military capabilities. There is no question that sequestration has decimated our military forces. It will take several years to rebuild the force structure to levels that are required for what we define as a “ready response” force. However, there are actions and programs that can be enacted now that will immediately raise morale and the readiness of our existing forces.
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