Quote Of The Day: Military Adventurism Edition
“In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should ‘have his head examined,’ as General MacArthur so delicately put it,” Mr. Gates told an assembly of Army cadets here.
— Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, speaking at West Point
So what he is saying is that we can get rid of the army and just use a few marines if we need ‘boots on the ground’? Not saying that isn’t a bad thing but if you rule out those areas then you can cut the army way, way back. Myself, I would fold most of the heavy, ie tanks, units into the army reserve and/or NG. That way you retain the capability but save a bit on the day to day costs.
My prediction: such resolutions last about a generation.