Military Affairs

There’s this old joke that the crews manning US Navy submarines keep repeating. It goes “There are only two types of ships in the modern Navy: those that are under the water and those that soon will be.”

I remember some of the criticism that was leveled against the Reagan administration over defense budgets. One big issue was the role of aircraft carriers. Critics said that they were too big, too expensive, too vulnerable. They were outmoded technology, sure to be sunk in an instant if hostilities ever flared up between the superpowers. Anecdotes about pictures taken through attack sub periscopes of oblivious carriers were presented as proof that a flattop’s time had come and gone. I even read a paper authored by a defense analyst that said the only reason more carriers were being built, the sole justification for spending all of that taxpayer money, was so retiring admirals could command a big ship before they trotted off to pasture.

There’s no way to sugarcoat it. The critics were wrong.

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On Memorial Day we should respect our warrior dead, and remember their devotion to duty and their sacrifice, and be grateful.

But on Memorial Day, we should also give assistance and support to our living veterans. There was a good column in today’s WaPo entitled Remember the Wounded. And we can do more than remember. We can open our wallets.

There is a list of groups offering support to those serving, including wounded soldiers, here, and Winds of Change has a very comprehensive list here. Take a look at these lists, find a cause you like. Then give them some money.

I used to be a fundraiser, and I found that it is best not to dilly-dally too long, but to go ahead and get to “the ask”. I also found that getting someone to give a decent-sized “leading gift” is helpful. So …

To put my own money where my mouth is, today I have sent $1,000 to the Wounded Warriors Project:

The “Wounded Warrior” project seeks to assist those men and women of our armed forces who have been severely injured during the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world. Many of the injuries are traumatic amputations, gunshot wounds, burns and blast injuries that will retire these brave warriors from military service. These wounded soldiers will return to civilian life minus one or more limbs, or with serious wounds or disfiguring scars, and will face greater challenges today obtaining assistance and finding opportunities that would enable them to provide for themselves and their families.

Many of us who read and write blogs supported the President and supported the invasion of Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq. The necessary consequence of those decisions, which we supported, was that many Americans would die or suffer serious wounds. The absolute least we can do is make some contribution to help those who have carried out those missions, including those who will carry serious wounds for the rest of their lives.

I hope that the community of ChicagoBoyz readers will open their wallets and give generous financial support to one of the many worthy groups who are working to help our veterans, to help those still serving and their families, or those who have been wounded.

If you match or surpass my contribution to some good cause, terrific. If you give some smaller amount, that is great, too. But remember, there are people in rehab right now who gave arms and legs. So, give something.

Happy Memorial Day. Thank you to all our veterans, living and dead.

God bless America.

UPDATE:

I got a good response from my old friend Chicago Litigator Pundit (“CLP”). He wrote:

Thanks for bringing the Wounded Warrior Project website to my attention. I have come to the (probably obvious) view that those who put their lives on the line for our country are the ultimate heroes, more so than presidents, judges, great scientists, philosophers, or other important contributors to our society. The contributions and accomplishments of the latter group, even those that are historically pivotal, may be greater, but the heroism of those who have gone to war for this country, fought for freedom, or otherwise put their lives on the line for us (including, for example, firemen, policemen, and the passengers of Flight 93) is far greater.

Having failed to do anything remotely heroic in support of the great cause for which our men and women are fighting for in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, making a contribution to the Wounded Warrior Project seems like a good way to help these heroes. Perhaps it is a selfish way of making myself feel better, but it does make me feel better. (I matched your contribution.)

I responded essentially as follows:

I agree with every word. I have never done anything dangerous in my life. I call myself “Lexington Green” but the people who were wounded or died on the real Lexington Green gave me more than I can ever dream of repaying. And the “minutemen” of today make contributions which are every bit as valuable, and also beyond my ability to repay. But, at least I can do something rather than nothing. So I did. I am glad you matched my contribution. I hope a few more people do.

So come on, ChicagoBoyz readers, get out those credit cards.

UPDATE II:Here is a link where you can find the VA facility nearest you.

Instapundit links to this post, which asks questions about the Army’s new 15 month enlistment option.

There is no mystery here. This idea has been kicking around for a while.

Its chief proponent has been Charles Moskos, an expert on military recruitment and retention. Moskos has for years been advocating a “short enlistment” option as a way to tap into a pool of college-educated young people who otherwise would not go into the military. A recent iteration of this idea is his article Toward a New Conception of the Citizen Soldier. In that piece Moskos specifically says: “There is a definite, albeit limited, market of college graduates who state a propensity for military service if the active-duty commitment is 15 months coupled with generous educational benefits.”

Looks like this is exactly the program the military is trying out. We’ll find out if Prof. Moskos is right. I hope it works out well.

In a post I mentioned that the US military budget will soon equal 50% of all defense spending on the planet. (If we haven’t already passed that particular milestone.)

Keith, the author of the excellent gunblog Anthroblogogy, has left a comment asking why this is so. He wonders if it’s due to a sudden and massive US increase in spending, or if it is simply the result of a gradual decline in foreign military budgets.

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The title refers to the 26th President of the United States. You know the guy with the line about the big stick.

I was thinking about this while reading a report on the Jane’s Defence server. It seems that the US defense budget was 46% of global military spending in 2003. It’s is expected to equal the rest of the world’s combined expenditure in 2006.

I wonder about these totals. The numbers from this page from 2003 indicate that the US defense budget was 49% of the global total even back then. This page at GlobalSecurity.org pretty much agrees with that, even though some of the figures are different. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to find out that we’ve passed the halfway mark already.

There are a few observations that I can make about all of this. One is that all of this money that America is spending isn’t directly tied into present military capability. The US leads the world in R&D spending, including military technology. (The US accounted for 89% of all R&D dollars in 2003. It may have changed since then.) A significant amount of this cash is going towards projects to ensure that a future belligerent will have little chance to destroy the US, even if the present rosy economic climate dissolves in the future.

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