As a 30-year Marine veteran, I have seen the evils and horror of war and combat. Our foreign policy has become wasteful, counterproductive, and alienated millions of people who would otherwise find common cause with our nation. We need a military, but we also need to use military force as a last resort against foreign threats that actually pose a danger against our nation or an existential threat to our allies. What we do not need is nation-building, regime changes, and humanitarian war.
Sadly, our nation often blunders into wars with multitudes of unintended consequences. George Bush’s adventure in Iraq is one example, and one that has only empowered Iran and hurt our nation’s moral leadership and international prestige. Obama’s 2011 unilateral bombing of Libya is another example. After we helped to topple Libyan tyrant Gadhafi, the country split into many fiefdoms, radicalized insurgents invaded neighboring Mali, and the country now teeters as a lawless quasi-failed state, home to Islamist extremists and criminal gangs. To boot, Obama had the gall to tell Congress that he did not need their permission to bomb the nation since aerial bombing was not considered war!
But I think the American people have had enough foreign adventurism. Last year’s abortive attempt to attack Syria was opposed by a bipartisan majority and most Americans, and forced the public opinion poll obsessed president to abandon his latest folly. It’s past time to use our military to defend America’s interests, not the interests of other nations who often do not have our interests at heart.
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We also need to right-size the US military by focusing on what threats we are going to face in the future and how we can overcome them. Massive military boondoggles and special interest contracts do nothing to enhance our national security. We need a smart military for 21st century threats.
