The Long Haul

At a recent tete' a tete' (of the Long Island type) several field grade combat cats mentioned the need for speed and swift contemplation and implementation of girding Great Satan's loins for the Long Haul.

The Overseas Contingency (code for WAR) against radical non state actors, creepy super villians and their abetting nation states aside, Great Satan will be facing an increasingly assertive China and an emerging “nuclear arc of instability” (Gap Shrinking -- nicht war? ) stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Japan.

Not to mention Land of the Pure's 60plus warheads.

44's administration needs a clear understanding of these challenges, and how they differ from the “traditional” threats to security that drove previous defense reviews. A healthy dose of realpolitik rejectus wouldn't hurt either.

Sounds a lot like the ultimate Vulcan's desire to reshape Great Satan's military into a leaner, meaner force -- able to act out simultaneously on multiple fronts and hyper power anywhere -- anytime.

While the idea of getting Fully Crunk has been out there, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments has an interesting, exhaustive PDF report out that discusses the Long Haul:


The Challenges to Great Satan

Translates the principal challenges to US security into a representative set of contingencies in order to determine what resources will be required, and how they should be apportioned among forces and capabilities.

Military Power and Concepts of Operation

Provides the connective tissue between the threats to US security and the capabilities and force elements needed to address the new challenges confronting the nation.

The Defense Budget

Overviews the budget environment and explores a range of options to make the Services’ plans more affordable.

The Defense Industrial Base

Addresses defense industry’s role as a strategic asset, and how it can best serve in that role.

Manpower

Examines recruitment and retention of quality people in sufficient numbers at an acceptable cost.

Training, Operational Art, and Strategic Competence

Assesses the need for an overhaul of training and education of America’s service personnel and the importance of strategic thinking in senior leaders.

Restructuring the Alliance Portfolio

Considers the nature and type of alliances the United States needs in order to meet existing and emerging security challenges.

Ground Forces

Explores how the US Army and Marine Corps might best be organized, structured, modernized, and postured to meet existing and emerging challenges to US security.

Special Forces

Addresses the expansion and growing role of US Special Forces.

Maritime Forces

Addresses how US maritime forces might best be organized, structured, modernized, and postured to meet existing and emerging challenges to US Security.

Air and Space Forces

Explores how Air and Space Forces might best be organized, structured, modernized, and postured to meet existing and emerging challenges to US Security.

Strategic Forces

Examines the circumstances under which nuclear strategy and force posture decisions must be made today.

Modernization Strategies

Explores potential modernization strategies that can best support the US defense posture in an era of great geopolitical uncertainty and rapid technological change.

Organizing for National Security

Assesses how the United States Government can best organize itself to ensure effective strategic planning and execution of strategy.

A Grand Strategy for the United States

Synthesizes the findings and insights of the study series.

The Grand Strategy portion makes a very lefthanded compliment to the idea that perhaps, Free World shouldn't tolerate the existence of WMD crunk up caliphates, illegit, unelected, unfree, unfun (and many nigh unhinged) Regimes that have a penchant for tormenting their own people and their neighbors, fiddle about with WMD and tend to attack any democrazy in weapons range.

Instead, they should be annihilated.

Yes, it's true that "...someone much worse..." than say Sudan's War Criminal Field Marshal President For Life, Syria's Dr General President For Life or Dear Leader's dear son or another jumped up Ayatollah could indeed rise up and seize the reins of power.

Yet -- it's equally true that "...someone much worse..." would have much to contemplate about the R2P clause, modern state craft and the risk of nuclear chicanery with non state actors as they survey the still smoking craters of their predecessors.

Pic - "Great Satan: In It to Win It"