Sharing this Washington Post article by retired Marine Lieutenant General, Bernard E. Trainor. The rush for military action, once again, has not been thought through with comprehensive and thoughtful Congressional debate. As a veteran, and a former officer in the US Army, I have insight into the strategic underpinnings of military intervention. Like Trainor, I am also concerned about the lack of forethought about military action. What are our objectives? Who are our allies? What are we trying to achieve that other avenues of action would not more successfully address the unstable and combustible situation in the middle east? Over a decade of war and we are still quagmired. Trainor says: The Islamic State presents a problem to be managed not a war to be won. He goes on: The double-dealing is almost endless. It doesnt make sense to us, but it does make sense to the players. If we are committing American troops and American tax dollars, our military intervention should (at the very least) be debated by our democratic process. If its American lives and American interests on the line, we should do our utmost to make sure that we are doing more than adding to the violence in the region. Trainor concludes: After more than a decade of frustration and humiliation, the United States should have learned that the Middle East is no place for Wilsonianism on steroids. We need Congress to do its job now more than ever. Utahns want democratic, probative and responsible leadership. Veterans know that war is more than a game. We know that when we commit forces and American lives, we should do so for the right reasons with clear, defined objectives. Otherwise the cost is too much to our service members and our democracy. Not Left. Not Right. Forward!
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 20:01:43 +0000
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