When Force Becomes the Easy Option | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

The all volunteer force has made it easier for the political leadership to use the military as an instrument of policy, leading to a significant increase in overseas deployments.

Key Insights

• 🍝 Foreign policy is not a significant issue in the current election due to public fatigue with the past decade of warfare and minimal results.
• 😄 The all volunteer force has led to a greater ease of using the military as an instrument of policy, resulting in a significant increase in overseas deployments.
• 😑 The composition of the military has shifted towards underprivileged individuals with lesser political voice.
• 💢 The all volunteer force era has seen a drastic increase in overseas deployments compared to previous eras.
• 💢 The ease of deploying the military in the all volunteer force era has disrupted civil society less than in previous eras.
• 🇨🇷 A more focused discussion on foreign policy priorities, means, and costs is necessary.
• 😄 It is crucial to rethink the ease with which the military has been used as an instrument of policy in the past 40 years.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: Why is foreign policy not a major issue in the current election?

Both presidential candidates recognize that the public is weary of the past decade of warfare and prioritize domestic issues. They agree that the interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria have not yielded significant results, leading to a lack of emphasis on foreign policy.

Q: How has the composition of the military changed over time?

In previous eras, the military force was drawn from all sectors of society, including a more equitable representation. However, the all volunteer force now primarily consists of underprivileged individuals with lesser political voice.

Q: How has the ease of deploying the military changed between previous eras and the all volunteer force era?

The shift to the all volunteer force has made it easier for the political leadership to use the military as an instrument of policy. In the previous era, there were 19 overseas deployments over 28 years, whereas in the all volunteer force era, there were 144 overseas deployments over 40 years.

Q: What are the consequences of the all volunteer force on civil society?

The all volunteer force has resulted in a smaller military composed of underprivileged individuals. This has made it easier for the political leadership to deploy the military without significant disruption to civil society.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Both presidential candidates in the election agree that the country is tired of the last decade of warfare and view foreign policy as a low priority.

• The United States' interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria have yielded minimal results, contributing to public fatigue and disengagement with the military.

• The all volunteer force, composed mostly of underprivileged individuals with lesser political voice, has made it easier for the political leadership to use the military as an instrument of policy, resulting in a significant increase in overseas deployments.