The ADF (American Defense Forces)(Revised)
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I have a proposal to make: The creation of an elite Military Force. Call it the ADF (The American Defense Force). (After the IDF… The Israeli Defense Force.) This unit would, as the name implies, be made up of US Army Ranger qualified, and trained males in all combat positions, including war planning. Service would be mandatory for a minimum of four years and members of this elite force would be subject to recall until the age of 45. All military "support" positions would be filled by non- ADF, Regular Army personnel.
I have a proposal to make: The creation of an elite Military Force. Call it the ADF (The American Defense Force). (After the IDF… The Israeli Defense Force.) This unit would, as the name implies, be made up of US Army Ranger qualified, and trained males in all combat positions, including war planning. Service would be mandatory for a minimum of four years and members of this elite force would be subject to recall until the age of 45. All military "support" positions would be filled by non- ADF, Regular Army personnel.
Here’s the way it would work: The Commander in Chief would call in the ADF, when needed, and present them with the goal of any military offensive. From that point, neither the President, nor the Congress, would have any input into the means by which the ADF accomplished it’s mission.This would allow for “plausible deniability” by the nation’s weak-kneed leaders and allow the ADF to proceed to victory by whatever means it found necessary.There would be no more Viet Nams. No more Gulf War Ones, and no more Iraq wars. The War against Terror would already be over.
Ahhh, ‘tis but a dream, I know… but, one with roots in reality.
I used to feel comfortable saying that Democrats did not understand military power, or the application of military power. Now, as Republicans are showing the same weakness, I am no longer comfortable with that adage. The baby boomer Republicans have joined the ranks of the crowd, which thinks nothing is worth "fighting for". (Never mind that some poor dogface soldier gave his life so the entire baby boomer generation could live, and prosper, in freedom. Talk about ingratitude!
My ADF scheme is far-fetched, I know, and I describe it here with my tongue fastened firmly in my cheek! But... we are going to have to do something. Americans no longer have the stomach for a fight. Trying to fight a "politically correct war", and having a large portion of our troops assigned to "Nation Building" is getting our combat forces chewed up, resulting in the needless deaths of our servicemen and servicewomen. The micro managing of the war, by our politicians, is dragging out a conflict, which could have been over years ago. American lives are being lost just to make a political point.
When America decided the time was right to invade Europe and conquer the Nazis, The Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower was instructed to … invade Europe, and defeat the Germans. That was, pretty much, ALL he was instructed to do. The how, why, when, and wherefore, of the invasion... and subsequent defeat of Hitler, was left up to HIM. That was a clear case of allowing the Military to do its job. We all know how that turned out. The same cannot be said for the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. Both those war efforts were micromanaged by Washington at the cost of thousands of US lives, plus… over 50 years later…. we are STILL in Korea and we lost the war in Vietnam to an inferior opponent! Clearly, our national leaders have learned nothing from their predecessor’s mistakes or from history.
When America decided the time was right to invade Europe and conquer the Nazis, The Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower was instructed to … invade Europe, and defeat the Germans. That was, pretty much, ALL he was instructed to do. The how, why, when, and wherefore, of the invasion... and subsequent defeat of Hitler, was left up to HIM. That was a clear case of allowing the Military to do its job. We all know how that turned out. The same cannot be said for the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. Both those war efforts were micromanaged by Washington at the cost of thousands of US lives, plus… over 50 years later…. we are STILL in Korea and we lost the war in Vietnam to an inferior opponent! Clearly, our national leaders have learned nothing from their predecessor’s mistakes or from history.
Something else that is abundantly clear is the Liberal philosophy of “Winning the Hearts and Minds” of the enemy is so much wimpy bunk! Defeat them first, decisively, then make-up… if we really want to.
Today in Iraq, we are setting the stage for the third war in Iraq. We have not decisively defeated our enemy there and soon our forces will be withdrawn. The withdrawal will be temporary. Clear thinking folks know we will return to Iraq. We have to. Chances are very high that sometime in the next 17 months we will be at war, on some level, with Iran. The planet cannot allow Iran to gain nuclear weapons. There are currently only two countries capable of taking on Iran: the US and Israel. I cannot see President Bush leaving office without first doing severe damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities… at the very least.
The point is, we are fighting Iranians today in Iraq. If we go to war against Iran, we will be fighting Iraqi’s in Iran. There is no way we are going to be allowed a clean break from that part of the globe. The US is at war, and will be at war, for many years into the future. Like the Cold War, we are looking at a 40 to 50 year military engagement in the Middle East… unless, we give the US Military free rein to fight, and win, the war in that region. Until the US politicians back away and allow our military to use the “Overwhelming Force” we are capable of… this Middle Eastern War will drag on for years and years and, when it finally does peter out… there will be no clear winner. That is unacceptable.
Yes, I AM a believer in “Peace through Victory”. If the world would get out of the way and allow Israel to decisively defeat the so-called "Palestinians", there might be something that could be “called” peace in that region. But so long as we continue to drag both sides to negotiating tables and demand concessions from Israel in “pre-doomed” attempts at pacifying the so-called Palestinians, that conflict will drag on and on, and on, ad infinitum. More Israeli lives have been lost because the US, and the UN, have meddled in Israel’s politics, and in the efforts of the IDF to finally wipeout those renegades surrounding them, than have been lost in the Israel’s military engagements with their enemies. As an example, I am convinced that the only reason the Iranian nuclear facilities remain standing today is because the US refuses to allow Israel to attack. There is no doubt in my mind that had the pressure from Washington not prevented it, the Iranian nuke factories would have been smoking ruins many months ago.
So, maybe my idea for an ADF is no more than wishful thinking, but, if we don’t re-connect with reality, and understand that there are enemies out there who will stop at nothing short of completely defeating America and enslaving our citizens the US is destined to pay a price in blood you will not believe.
Longstreet
© Commentary by Longstreet copyrighted, September 2007
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3 comments:
Perhaps Western Military forces could lean a thing or two from the IDF. Starting with the IDF ‘ten eyes for an eye approach.’ If you annoy them, not only do they hunt you down, but also your wife, children, your dog, your neighbors, (spelt correctly for you!) their immediate family, their dog and the paperboy. This is why life insurance policies are not big business in Gaza.
“When America decided the time was right to invade Europe and conquer the Nazis.” I thought you ‘liberated’ Europe from the Nazi regime?
“We lost the war in Vietnam to an inferior opponent!” Every Vietnamese businessman holds out his begging bowl to the USA these days, asking for access to markets, capital and technology. I think there is a case that the US won by economic power rather than military power. The same logic applies to the cold war. I never fired a shot at the Warsaw Pact, and I don’t know anyone who did. But the war was won by economic might.
"“When America decided the time was right to invade Europe and conquer the Nazis.” I thought you ‘liberated’ Europe from the Nazi regime?"
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HA! Oh, yeah, we "liberated" it! Sometimes my politically correct gears "slip".
As long as America remains America, it will always win in the end. We defeated the Soviets with the power of our economy, and the Nazis with the power of our productivity and bravery.
We defaulted in Vietnam. We stopped being America for a little while, and a gentle, innocent people paid a horrible price.
That's a mistake we must not repeat.
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