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I can still remember my parents singing a somewhat cleaned-up version of the World War I-era song "You're in the Army Now." ("You're in the Army now, You're not behind a plow; You'll never get rich, you son of a b*tch, You're in the Army now.") As it happens, though, that song no longer applies, not if you're in the upper ranks of the U.S. military, where you can "retire" directly onto the boards of top military contractors in the industrial part of the military-industrial-congressional complex that are making eternal fortunes off the Pentagon budget. If you don't believe me, check out Lloyd Austin's career. He retired as a four-star Army general and joined the board of Raytheon before Joe Biden appointed him secretary of defense (as Donald Trump had appointed a retired Marine four-star general, serving on the board of General Dynamics, to the same post). It should be shocking. It should be a crisis. It should be investigated. But no such luck.
Still, as retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, historian, and TomDispatch regular William Astore suggests today, as far as anyone in power is concerned, who cares if the U.S. military couldn't win a war when it's a veritable budgetary goldmine? And don't even dream of doing anything but adding to that if you hope to succeed in Congress. Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders has proven the rarest of exceptions for opposing and even calling for cuts to what he's termed a "bloated" Pentagon budget (which is expected to hit a trillion dollars annually in the next few years). But no such luck. Far too many congressional representatives are literally in thrall to defense contractors. In fact, did you even know that Sanders had done so?
With that uniformed nightmare first-class in mind, settle in for a ride to hell with Astore, whose Bracing Views newsletter is (to my mind) a must-read. Tom
"The Greatest Fighting Force in Human History"
The Perpetual Wars You Aren't Supposed to Notice
In his message to the troops prior to the July 4th weekend, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin offered high praise indeed. "We have the greatest fighting force in human history," he tweeted, connecting that claim to the U.S. having patriots of all colors, creeds, and backgrounds "who bravely volunteer to defend our country and our values."
As a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel from a working-class background who volunteered to serve more than four decades ago, who am I to argue with Austin? Shouldn't I just bask in the glow of his praise for today's troops, reflecting on my own honorable service near the end of what now must be thought of as the First Cold War?
Yet I confess to having doubts. I've heard it all before. The hype. The hyperbole. I still remember how, soon after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush boasted that this country had "the greatest force for human liberation the world has ever known." I also remember how, in a pep talk given to U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2010, President Barack Obama declared them "the finest fighting force that the world has ever known." And yet, 15 years ago at TomDispatch, I was already wondering when Americans had first become so proud of, and insistent upon, declaring our military the world's absolute best, a force beyond compare, and what that meant for a republic that once had viewed large standing armies and constant warfare as anathemas to freedom.
In retrospect, the answer is all too straightforward: we need something to boast about, don't we? In the once-upon-a-time "exceptional nation," what else is there to praise to the skies or consider our pride and joy these days except our heroes? After all, this country can no longer boast of having anything like the world's best educational outcomes, or healthcare system, or the most advanced and safest infrastructure, or the best democratic politics, so we better damn well be able to boast about having "the greatest fighting force" ever.
Leaving that boast aside, Americans could certainly brag about one thing this country has beyond compare: the most expensive military around and possibly ever. No country even comes close to our commitment of funds to wars, weapons (including nuclear ones at the Department of Energy), and global dominance. Indeed, the Pentagon's budget for "defense" in 2023 exceeds that of the next 10 countries (mostly allies!) combined.
And from all of this, it seems to me, two questions arise: Are we truly getting what we pay so dearly for the bestest, finest, most exceptional military ever? And even if we are, should a self-proclaimed democracy really want such a thing?
The answer to both those questions is, of course, no. After all, America hasn't won a war in a convincing fashion since 1945. If this country keeps losing wars routinely and often enough catastrophically, as it has in places like Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, how can we honestly say that we possess the world's greatest fighting force? And if we nevertheless persist in such a boast, doesn't that echo the rhetoric of militaristic empires of the past? (Remember when we used to think that only unhinged dictators like Adolf Hitler boasted of having peerless warriors in a megalomaniacal pursuit of global domination?)
Actually, I do believe the United States has the most exceptional military, just not in the way its boosters and cheerleaders like Austin, Bush, and Obama claimed. How is the U.S. military truly "exceptional"? Let me count the ways.
The Pentagon as a Budgetary Black Hole
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