Honestly, I despair of politics. Everywhere has gone mad. Or is there still a good country on this earth, where thinking voters elect honest, wise leaders, who debate civilly and rationally, consult widely, seek unity not division, and do sensible things? Is there? Anywhere?
— Aidan Foster-Carter (@fcaidan) April 2, 2019
The Economist has an article published that discusses why the US military has had a hard time recruiting and how military generals have too much power:
Seasonal factors, including a strengthening labour market and negative media coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have widened the gulf. So have the dismal standards of education and physical fitness that prevail in modern American society. At a time of post-war introspection, these factors raise two big questions. The first concerns America’s ability to hold to account a military sector its leaders feel bound to applaud, but no longer competent to criticise. Andrew Bacevich, a former army officer, academic and longstanding critic of what he terms the militarism of American society, derides that support as “superficial and fraudulent”. Sanctified by politicians and the public, he argues, the army’s top brass have been given too much power and too little scrutiny, with the recent disastrous campaigns, and similarly profligate appropriations, the almost inevitable result. The second question raised by the civil-military disconnect is similarly fundamental: it concerns America’s future ability to mobilise for war. [The Economist]
You can read the rest at the link, but according to one military official the amount of obese potential recruits is the biggest recruiting challenge currently. As far as the military brass having too much power, I would also disagree with this, they are executing the strategy given to them from the White House. If strategy is flawed the military campaign will be flawed as well. As far appropriations Congress is just as much to blame as the military brass who help keep flawed acquisitions programs going because of the jobs they provide in their district.
