Washington Finally Admits It; We Can’t Win a War

I hope that all of you out there in Ricochet Land read Jim Geraghty's column in this past Monday's (23 September) National Review. In his column, Geraghty refers to a report by the Commission on the National Defense Strategy. This year, virtually all of this nation's attention has been fixed on the Presidential elections; so much so that little attention has been paid to the report. In Washington, D.C. commissions come and go (usually with little effect). However, this 132-page report and the bleak picture it paints should be one of the major issues of the November elections. (See Attachment 1, Go to "Commission Findings.....", click on 'its report')

Sadly, it won't be. In a poll by the Pew Research Center (taken in early September), National Defense isn't even mentioned as a concern for voters. It should be.

In case anyone has missed it, the Chinese have made one threatening move after another in the Pacific. While it is no surprise that they have made their usual provocative actions around Taiwan, they have also sent ships to stake out their dubious claims to territory surrounding the Philippines. In addition, they have already sailed their ships close to the territorial waters of Japan and Vietnam. To top it off China simultaneously deployed three carrier groups to different areas of the South China Sea shortly after they sent three icebreakers to the Arctic. All in all, over 400 ships were involved in these exercises.

How has China been able to muster such a naval force? To put it bluntly, they have the industrial capacity to turn out warships "like sausages". (See Attachment 2.) China can build roughly 234 ships while we labor to build one. AS we deindustrialized, the Chinese did exactly the opposite.

Now, there are those in America who will say that China's superior numbers mean nothing, that American technology will win the day. Have these people taken into account that the Chinese have been stealing our technology as fast as we've produced it? And while they're thinking about that, perhaps they should remember Joseph Stalin's (and Mao's) old adage that, "Quantity has a quality all its own."

As the Commission's report states, the Chinese are no longer our equals; they have passed us in many areas. (I strongly urge everyone here at Ricochet to read the report. Although it is 132 pages, the meat of the report can be found in only 80 or so pages.)

Because of the bipartisan nature of the report's authors, I believe they could not drill down to many of our military's problems. I would like to touch on a few of these.

The old saying that "the fish rots from the head" is the perfect description for our U.S. military today. While American corporations, left and right, are discarding the insane philosophy known as DEI, our military stubbornly clings to it, even refusing to justify its need. (See Attachment 3, below.)

I believe that we have too many in the flag ranks who subscribe to DEI (or are direct beneficiaries of it) and far too few who are warfighters who realize the dangers of injecting political philosophies into the rank and file.

However, even if we had a military leadership who could lead, just where are the troops of the future that they would lead? Answer: They're not there. Today's all-volunteer force is running on fumes. The reasons why were ably presented in, of all places, an article by VOX. (See Attachment 4, below).

Only about 25% of today's young men and women are deemed eligible to enter into the Armed Forces. The rest are too stupid, too fat, or too doped up. Of the 25% who are eligible, there is a sizable number who want no part of the military (fear of injury, etc.). To me, this is a sign of a nation in decline.

The reasons for this range from schools that can't or won't teach and couldn't care less about the welfare of the students all the way to parents who care nothing for their children's health, welfare or education. No matter the reason, these kids are being let down.

Faced with this situation, the military has tried to cut corners to fill its ranks. The Air Force has changed the body mass index standards, altered the existing hand and neck tattoo policy, and issued marijuana waivers. The Army has begun 90-day "pre-boot camps" for would-be soldiers who cannot meet physical standards or pass their entrance tests. The Army says it's working; I wonder if it's setting up another "McNamara's Morons" situation. As for the Navy, two admirals came up with the idea of accepting more of the recruits who scored in the bottom 30% of testing. Said one of the admirals, "We're opening the aperture." (Make of that what you will.)

In spite of all this, I do believe that we have some reasons for optimism:

a. Our submarine force is still second to none. Although the Chinese were rumored to be catching up, I saw that last summer one of their nuclear subs sank at its mooring. (I'm still smiling.)

b. Our military has finally acknowledged the need to disperse the forces in the Pacific (Tinian, Peleliu). If they can be adequately protected, it will be a huge plus.

c. If the Quad Four (the U.S., Australia, India and Japan) can put words into action, the Chinese will be facing more than one adversary.

d. Our new B-21 Bomber should be an excellent addition to the force (if the Chinese have not already stolen the plans for it).

So what next? First of all, to put it indelicately, Congress and the DOD need to quit jerking around and tell the American public the truth: China (along with Russia, Iran and North Korea) are our enemies and war will affect everyone, not just the military. At the same time, Congress must increase responsible military spending and cut back on entitlements.

When it comes to Congress, I am very pessimistic. How many of us are confident that people such as "the Squad," Bennie Thompson and Maxine Waters (not to mention Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Green) can put their country ahead of their petty politics?

As for the executive branch, when it comes to the shuffling dullard presently in the White House, I consider it fortunate that the Chinese are not already closing in on Hawaii. He should have ordered at least three U.S. Navy ships to protect the Philippine forces but he was too busy suntanning. If his vice president were to succeed him, she would probably follow the same course of action.

In a way, the Dullard and the Cackler are following in the tradition of the last two Democratic administrations. Bill Clinton, when not chasing office interns, could not wait to spend the "Peace Dividend" and get the Chinese into the WTO. Barack Obama, when he was not bowing before other heads of state, sought to be conciliatory toward China which, in reality, played right into their hands.

Will we ever get a President (along with a Military and State Department) who will have the cojones to push back on Chinese attempts to reshape the international order? I'd like to think so, but I doubt I'll see him or her in my lifetime.