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DeM Banter: It does make it tough to balance the military budget... June 13, 2013 The Pentagon says it doesn't want them, doesn't need them and can't afford to maintain them. Two congressional armed services panels say that's just tough -- you're stuck with them. So at a time of budget squeezing, the Defense Department's …
Continue reading "Slash The Budget, But Don’t Close Unneeded Bases? Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer"
DeM Banter: How many times have we "guessed" correctly at what the next war would look like? George Friedman's "The Next Hundred Years," is a wonderful read on the topic... without reviewing the text... I think the answer is close to zero. Something to think about when we ponder all of our "eggs in one …
Continue reading "A New Vision Of The Military’s Role By Walter Pincus"
DeM Banter: One has to love the use of history to make a point... have to love Dr Joe Nye's writing. We will see... Los Angeles Times June 12, 2013 Pg. 13 The right U.S. strategy includes 'power with,' not just 'power over.' China will almost certainly pass the United States in the total size …
Continue reading "MEETING CHINA HALFWAY By Joseph S. Nye Jr."
DeM Banter: if the math gets to be too much (I just used a calculator) skip to the last paragraph.... Politico.com June 9, 2013 According to some, the U.S. rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific region in recent years is a bold strategic shift in national security policy. To many Chinese interlocutors, in fact, the military dimensions …
Continue reading "Rebalancing The Military In Asia And The Pacific By Michael O’Hanlon"
DeM Banter: so many great quotes in here... can I just get an Amen? I am starting to pondering how long until the next [fill in the blank]. Any thoughts? London Daily Telegraph June 11, 2013 Pg. 21 Many of the lessons we have learnt post-9/11 have been paid for and written in blood Since …
Continue reading "We Must Be Coldly Realistic Over The Use Of Force By David Petraeus"
DeM Banter: Is this a strategic statement or a passing phase? It all sounds very telling... but perhaps I am too close to this one. Like my good friend Prince says: "Sign O the Times mess with your mind Hurry before it's 2 late Let's fall in love, get married, have a baby We'll call …
DeM Banter: Never a huge fan of DS9, but Star Trek (and Star Wars...and perhaps to a lesser degree BSG) can explain a lot...sometimes....well...now and again...okay, they were just TV shows and movies, but its a good read.NationalJournal.comJune 7, 2013Star Trek has a pretty good track record of forecasting the future. Cell phones, tablets, augmented-reality visors. …
Continue reading "HOW STAR TREK EXPLAINS THE NSA By Brian Fung"
DeM Banter: once again... so many issues here... but I think it is all summed up at the end of the article... and we have to remember--this is indeed all about choices... but it is also about holding the appropriate leader responsible for said choices... both good and bad. “What do you want your military …
DeM Banter: once again... proof we live in interesting times. It would be most interesting if we were privy to the strategy behind this--is there a plan that comprehensively thinks through these choices over the next 5-10 years? Or are we (as a nation) only focused on the five meter target? Wall Street Journal June …
Continue reading "Why China Frets Over America’s Retreat By Daniel Blumenthal"
DeM Banter: This will be an interesting one to watch. I really have to wonder how we get to the percentages at the bottom. "...estimated overall military compensation costs have grown by 56 percent over the past decade, and in the case of health care spending, an increase of 110 percent." 56% is that counting …
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