Reorganizing The American Military, 6-30-2010

 [I should drop this entry, but honesty requires me to show myself shooting off my mouth. I still wonder if the ideas are not sound, just made irrelevant by our current politics. Oh, well, I never said I was the smartest guy in the room. sch 2/5/2022]

I need a bit of respite from ethics, but ethics has me thinking of politics. Especially since I have been reading about wisdom and prudence. With the short time left me to write before dinner duty, you get a brief note on how and why we should reform the United States military.

First, let me admit that I got most of this idea from reading a Wikipedia article on Canada's military. It spoke of a unified system there, but I was never able to follow up on how it was unified. My idea may have nothing to do with how Canada organizes its military.

Second, I expect no one to support my idea. Not just because of my criminal status, or that I am no defense expert, but because the military is the ultimate bureaucracy. (This seems like a good place to suggest this Google query: "Max Weber" bureaucracy. Should be some good reading somewhere on the Internet for those complaining about the federal bureaucracy.) Traditions, bureaucratic turf, money, and careers depend too much on the current system. 

Here is the idea:

1. All land forces except special operations come under the Army. The Marine Corps gets divided between the Army (becoming its amphibious arm) and special operations.
2. All air forces come under one command with divisions for bombers, naval, and ground support.
3. Naval remains intact except for its air arm. The Coast Guard is fitted into this division as a separate unit.
4. Intelligence services come within one division; including the NSA. 
5. Eliminate the positions of Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Replace them with Defense Department under-secretaries.
6. Create a special ops section, uniting the special ops of all services.

Essentially, create a new a military fitting the function. 

sch

[I cut several paragraphs, embarrassing in their irrelevance almost 13 years later. They were of questions, and only one two of these seem to have any semblance of importance now: 1) what will be lost other than bureaucrats; and 2) who are we ready to fight? sch 2/5/2023.]