The Pentagon Isn’t Ready For A New Cold War -- Jacob Siegel, The Daily Beast
The U.S. military spent decades pivoting away from its Cold War stance. Now the Pentagon is less prepared than it has been in generations for a confrontation with Russia.
There’s an old saying in the military that we’re always training for the last war, so fixated on the lessons of our most recent conflict that we’re blind to the emerging threat.
For years, that last war was the Cold War, and the emerging threat was the insurgents of Iraq and Afghanistan. Slowly, painfully, eventually, the military reoriented itself. The result? After more than two decades of post Cold War re-alignment, the military is less prepared than it has been in generations for a confrontation with Russia.
No one in Washington is calling for the U.S. to go to war over Crimea and there are plenty of reasons why, at this point, military intervention could be a dangerous and foolhardy course. But if circumstances change and political leaders start looking to the military or the bargaining power that comes from a credible threat of force, they will find their options severely limited.
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My Comment: For about the Pentagon's opinion .... I sincerely doubt that the American people are prepared for a new Cold War .... especially accepting the sacrifices that it would entail (i.e. less entitlement programs, bigger Pentagon budgets).
3 comments:
The Cold War was primarily touted as being against the dastardly Commies. Now the U.S. is best friends with Commie Vietnam, and while there is some lingering blather about Red China and Red Cuba those days are gone, thankfully.
So the current events are all about sustaining U.S. world hegemony against any countries that threaten it -- Iran, Venezuela, Russia, China etc. Nothing to do with Commies like before. Cuba -- that's a real threat.
The only gambit that might work these days would be if Crimea could be alleged to be a haven for terrorists and a launching area for terror attacks on New York in the global war on terror.
Lacking that BS, who cares.
Like the old Yakoff Smirnoff joke: You may not be interested in the Cold War, but......
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