Today, November 11, 2010, I would like to spend a few minutes reflecting on the relationship of the general population with the US Military. The observations are mine and they are shaped by 22 years of Commissioned Service, as well as an additional 14 years serving as a civilian with the Air Force. In my current role I define the required capabilities for the next generation of aircraft that will carry US Special Forces into harm’s way. I believe I am familiar with what it takes for the Air Force Special Operations to be successful.
After the Viet Nam conflict, or war if you would prefer, the nation came out of the experience with almost a bitterness towards the military, that was reflected on the way the veterans of that conflict where treated, and absorbed back into the general population. The college students and the social elite who had so successfully rallied against the war wanted nothing to do with anything that smelled of the military. Placing the blame for conflict on the those who had no control of what the civilian government had sent them to do.
At that time, there was a “Draft” where all were supposed to register and if your number was called you went to serve. Like most human endeavors there were ways to skirt around the intent of this being a universal and fair system. The rich would somehow find deferment, college students were exempt while in school (I knew many 8 year undergraduates), finding ways to be classified unfit to serve, etc., but it did, more-or-less, result in the military being a reflection of the general population. It also meant when those draftee’s finished their enlistments they returned to the general population with an appreciation of what the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard did for the country.
After 1975 we abandoned the draft. Thinking at the time was we needed a smaller force and it should be “all volunteer.” The Army and Marine Corps struggled mightily to find qualified volunteers and for a while it was tough. Many who could not find work in the civilian world joined and brought with them the challenges of poor education, social problems, and drug abuse. The problems of the US Army and USMC were matched, to a lessor degree in the AF and Navy.
Under President Carter, a US Naval Academy graduate, the military atrophied while he struggled to gain control of an economy on the verge of collapse, caused by 10 years of war, overspending by the government, double digit unemployment and double digit inflation. Then in November 4, 1979 Iranian radicals, spurred on by the Ayatollah Khomeini, a leading Shi’a cleric, took over the American Embassy and held hostage the Americans that were in it. The Department of Defense was directed to plan a rescue attempt if the hostage crisis could not be resolved through diplomatic negotiation. Fundamental extremists, of all faiths, really aren’t into negotiation so that didn’t work, and on April 25, 1980 a force that had never successfully executed a full dress rehearsal flew into history. The results of that failure would reshape to Department of Defense over the next ten years, and still forms the emotional basis for many of its decisions. I know as one of the members of that team it shaped my career.
The hostage situation epitomized the failure of the Carter administration for the American people and led to the election of Ronald Reagan. Reagan brought into the office a confidence in America his predecessor never had. He also brought a commitment to strengthen the Armed Forces so it could be successful. Unfortunately this came at a substantial cost. Under Ronald Reagan we tripled the National debt. Clearly he wanted have his cake, and eat it too. But by the end of the 1980’s we had won the “Cold War” and had a military that was capable of defeating Iraq’s will to fight in 100 days.
Because of those successes, and the framework laid by Reagan the average civilian was taught it is patriotic to tell service-members they are grateful for their service and the nation is behind them 100%.
So where are we today? Since 9/11 we have been at war, unfortunately we are really not sure with who. When you are fighting against an amorphous non-state enemy like Al-Qaeda it is a lot like squeezing a giant water balloon. If you squeeze on one end it pops out somewhere unexpected. This is kind of the problem the British had when we fought our war of revolt. Unfortunately for us the conflict is not limited to a single country, territory, or continent. It is global in nature and Muslim terrorists have shown no reluctance in sacrificing innocent lives to make headline news.
So what do citizens believe today? Clearly we are still taught to say the right things, to wave the flag, to “honor” our men and woman, to give tickets to sporting events, occasionally have a parade, or something else, but when it comes time to make hard choices, to put your money where your mouth it appears to me the average American thinks supporting the military is someone else’s responsibility.
How can I say that, you ask? Here is what I’ve seen over the past couple of years. When Congress was looking to reduce the defense spending it had a process called the 2006 Base Realignment and Consolidation (BRAC) commission. BRAC’s role was to look nationwide at where we could close bases and consolidate functions. This was supposed to be a politically neutral event. When BRAC came to a base the local community was given the opportunity to voice their concerns, support or opposition to a closure or realignment. Here in the Florida Panhandle everyone was in love with Eglin AFB and its continued existence was central to the local economy. When BRAC decided that F-35’s would be a good fit the politicians were thrilled and spent the next year crowing about their success.
Then someone found out the F-35 was noisy. Imagine that; a noisy jet fighter, who would have thunk? Valparaiso, the city Eglin AFB is next to spent the next two years in litigation trying to stop the move. The sound of freedom is good, just not near me. BRAC also moves the 7th Special Forces Group from Ft. Bragg to Eglin. Just wait until we add 10,000 soldiers to a county that hasn’t had a fort located in it since the civil war. Today the realtor's are in love with the idea, because they look forward to their home sales commissions, but I say just wait. Clearly here in Northwest Florida the average civilian is in love with the military if they can make a profit off them, but other than that...
How about out west? When BRAC decided to close Cannon AFB in lovely Clovis NM the local politicians were aghast! Cannon was the only thing besides a few ranches and a Cattle pen that kept the greater Clovis-Portales metroplex in business. Clearly something had to be done. They organized the gang of 50 who lobbied their representatives, who lobbied the DOD to move a unit, any unit into Cannon. Enter AF Special Operations -- we needed a second base, wanted it on the left coast and “POOF” we have a base. Never mind that it was designed for small little fighter airplanes and we fly big (ish) C-130’s, CV-22’s and a whole bunch of other stuff. Once the decision was made the first thing the Colvis-Portles governments did was complain about how we would impact their infrastructure and who was going to pay for that? Why should they accelerate building housing, or approve new roads, sub-divisions etc. Why couldn’t the AF stay on Cannon like the last wing? Today we have a base busting at the seams and hear routinely about how Clovis is dragging its feet to meet the human needs of the airman we have to send there.
The icing on the cake is when we begin the process of looking for airspace to fly our planes and we lay out a low altitude navigation area we want to operate in the population in those areas rise up to express outrage over how the noisy CV-22 and C-130s will destroy the environment and ruin their quality of life. Wall Street Journal on 8 November ran an interesting article entitled “Flyover Plan Draws Flak” the byline was Stephanie Simon. My favorite part of the article was
Kathleen Dudley plans to throw herself into fighting the Air Force should commanders choose to move ahead. A writer in Mora, N.M., northeast of Santa Fe, Ms. Dudley said she and her husband were eating lunch on their deck recently when a military aircraft screamed overhead, flying so low "that we were looking into the eyeballs of a pilot bearing down on us."
"I was terrified," she said. "You don't hear or see them until they're upon you, and then it's like being in a war zone."
To that I say to Ms Dudley... BULL FEATHERS, and to Ms Simon, if this is the best quote you can come up with to discuss an important need for our Air Force maybe you should find a new line of work.
Well, it is about time to go support our local economy so with that I will wish you a happy Remembrance Day...I hope having a strong Military with a need to train does not terribly inconvenience you.
1 comment:
Thanks John
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