On Friday, April 8, as members of the U.S. Congress engaged in a last-minute game of chicken over the federal budget, the Pentagon quietly issued a report that received little initial attention: A National Strategic Narrative...The piece was written by two senior members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a "personal" capacity, but it is clear that it would not have seen the light of day without a measure of official approval. Its findings are revelatory, and they deserve to be read and appreciated not only by every lawmaker in Congress, but by every American citizen.
The narrative argues that the United States is fundamentally getting it wrong when it comes to setting its priorities, particularly with regard to the budget and how Americans as a nation use their resources more broadly. The report says Americans are overreacting to Islamic extremism, underinvesting in their youth, and failing to embrace the sense of competition and opportunity that made America a world power. The United States has been increasingly consumed by seeing the world through the lens of threat, while failing to understand that influence, competitiveness, and innovation are the key to advancing American interests in the modern world.
Courageously, the authors make the case that America continues to rely far too heavily on its military as the primary tool for how it engages the world.
[...]
The report places considerable emphasis on the importance of achieving a more sustainable approach to security, energy, agriculture, and the environment. Again, it is important to stress that this narrative was penned by senior military thinkers, not the Sierra Club. The simple fact is that any clear-eyed analysis pretty quickly comes to the same conclusion: The United States has established an incentive system that just doesn't make any sense. It continues to pour tens of billions of dollars into agricultural and oil subsidies every single year even as these subsidies make the gravity of the environmental, health, and land-use problems the country faces in the future ever graver. As the report argues, America cannot truly practice the use of "smart power" until it practices "smart growth" at home. While some may be quick to argue that the Pentagon should not be considering issues like smart growth and investments in America's youth, this goes to another key point from the authors: America won't get its approach to policy right if it leaves foreign policy and domestic policy in tidy little silos that ignore the interconnection between the two.
Wow. That's not the sort of thing you'd expect to hear out of the nation's top military brass, officials who arguably have the least incentive to attempt to stymie our ever expanding defense and national security complex. And it flies in the face of the Republican stereotype of the military as hard drinkin', chain smokin,' Jebus lovin', Real Amurikan Hero that don't giba shit 'bout the environment or none o'that other librul sissy shit. It's always hilarious to watch them try to carve out a position when one of the sacred establishments contradicts their boyhood fantasies.
I don't think this report has been given much coverage, but even if that weren't the case, I doubt it would really change much. It flies in the face of the status quo and contradicts every aspect of the conventional wisdom which the media loves to gleefully cheerlead. And consider recent events - Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came out on the record and strongly against the stupidity and harm of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. In a sane world, that would have been evidence for most people, yet we were still subjected to studies and trial periods and endless handwringing by Republicans and the media. I will leave you to consider the meltdown and gridlock that would be caused by a national debate on scaling down the military industrial complex and looking at energy, environmental, and education policy as national security issues. But regardless, it's good to know that there's still a shred of sanity in Washington, however rare it might be.
No comments:
Post a Comment