Chuck Hagel’s Speech on the role of the American Defense in the 21st Century

Maybe it’s me, but this is insanity:

In the 21st century, the United States must continue to be a force for, and an important symbol of, humanity, freedom, and progress for all mankind.  We must also make a far better effort to understand how the world sees us, and why.  We must listen more.  We must listen more.

Got that, Marines?

How about you submariners beneath the arctic ice?

And you guys patrolling Quandahar? Are you listening more?

America’s role in the world should reflect the hope and promise of our country, and possibilities for all mankind, tempered with a wisdom that has been the hallmark of our national character.  That means pursuing a principled and engaged realism that employs diplomatic, economic, and security tools – as well as our values – to advance our security and our prosperity. 

Where do we begin?

How about:

In  this century we face many challenges, but we wish to be viewed in this way

DON’T FUCK WITH US. YOU WILL HAVE CHOSEN POORLY

We have many interests. We have political, military and commercial interests.

NOTICE THEM.

We would like to leave you alone.

Please make this possible.

We’d rather be concerned with things here.

One Maritime Strategist analyzes this:

In his speech Secretary Hagel says “We must not fall prey to the false notion of American decline.  That is a false choice and far too simple an explanation.  We remain the world’s only global leader.  However, the insidious disease of hubris can undo America’s great strengths.  We also must not fall prey to hubris.” 

In my opinion it would be hubris if we as a nation can’t admit that American decline exists. Indeed it requires hubris to ignore the reasons why.

The first reason America is in decline is because elected national leadership is dysfunctional by every single definition applicable. This is not a problem that can be directed to any single political party, this is a shared burden of failure across the board. On one hand we see figures like Senator John McCain lament endlessly how supposedly outraged he is the Department of Defense can’t even audit itself, while on the other side Congress hasn’t passed a single budget on time since 2005. Good governance begins with consistency and reducing as much as possible uncertainty, and yet national political leaders haven’t been able to provide either consistency or certainty in government. Today, the DoD is once again operating under a continuing resolution, built on top of budget disruption from the previous two fiscal years (both of which also required long term continuing resolution), and lets not ignore that sequestration isn’t simply a budget cut, but more intrusively it prevents the DoD from making important budget adjustments to adapt to funding cuts. The budgets of most agencies in the United States are based on funny numbers pulled out of thin air as a result of annual Congressional mismanagement of their responsibilities, and the expectation that any agency can audit itself today contradicts the very purpose of a budget in the first place.

The responsible party for this mess is primarily Congress, but two Presidents in a row have demonstrated a remarkably inept level of leadership in addressing the problem, even when they are in the majorities.