The Pentagon Church Militant and Us

(CBS)  William J. Astore is a retired lieutenant colonel (USAF) and TomDispatch regular.  He currently teaches history at the Pennsylvania College of Technology and may be reached at [e-mail]. His piece originally appeared on TomDispatch.
When it comes to our nation's military affairs, ignorance is not bliss.  What's remarkable then, given the permanent state of war in which we find ourselves, is how many Americans seem content not to know.

There are many reasons for this state of affairs.  Our civilian leaders encourage us to be deferential toward our latest commander/savior, whether Tommy Franks in 2003, David Petraeus in 2007, or Stanley McChrystal in 2010.  Our media employs retired officers, most of them multi-starred generals, in a search for expertise that ends in an unconditional surrender to military agendas.  A cloud of secrecy and "black budgets" combine to obscure military matters, ranging from global strategy to war goals to weapons procurement.  The taxpayer, forced to pony up about one trillion dollars yearly to fund our military, national security infrastructure, and wars, is sent a simple message: stay clear and leave it to the experts in uniform.

The powerlessness of ordinary Americans in military matters is no accident.  Recall the one-word reply -- "So?" -- Dick Cheney offered in March 2008, when asked to comment on popular opposition to the war in Iraq.  The former vice president was certainly far blunter than Washington usually is, and for that we may owe him a measure of thanks.  By highlighting the arrogant dismissiveness of Washington's warrior-elite when it comes to American public opinion, he revealed more than he intended.

Time for Vatican II at the Pentagon

If military power is the church at which we worship and the Pentagon is our American Vatican, then it is desperately in need of the equivalent of Vatican II which, in the early 1960s, opened the Catholic Church to greater participation by the laity, a vitally important change in ethos.  Instead of continuing to pray at the altar of their particular services, we need our Pentagon "priests" to turn to the laity -- us -- and seek our input and sanction.  Instead of preaching in unintelligible Pentagonese, with its indecipherable acronyms, secret doctrines, and spidery codenames, it's long past time for them to talk to us in a language that reasonably informed adults can understand. 

Think about this: last year, our country held innumerable public hearings on health-care reform.  Congress continues to fight about it.  It's constant news.  There's a debate alive in the land.  All this for a program that, in ten years, will cost the American people as much as defense and homeland security cost in a single year.

Yet runaway defense budgets get passed each year without a single "town hall" meeting, next to no media coverage, and virtually no debate in Congress.  Indeed, you'd think each Pentagon budget was an ex cathedra pronouncement, given the way Congress genuflects before them and Americans accept them without so much as a peep of protest. 

Those "Crazy" Kiwis
Imagine, for a moment, if Pentagon officials, supposedly toiling in our name, actually condescended to ask us for our thoughts.  What do we think about global military strategy, garrisoning the planet, the ways in which our forces are structured, and how, where, and for what they should be deployed abroad?   

Sound crazy?  Here in the U.S.A. it most distinctly does, but not to the citizens of New Zealand.  A Kiwi friend of mine recently sent me "Defence Review 2009," a publication of New Zealand's Ministry of Defence (MoD). And catch this:  it includes a survey soliciting the advice of ordinary New Zealanders with respect to military affairs.  It actually asks for the counsel of civilians on a "top ten" list of questions whose topics are remarkably comprehensive, including what the priorities of the country's Defence Force should be, both now and in the future.  Citizens can even present their views on military matters at a public hearing attended by MoD representatives, all in the name of public consultation.  And the Defence Minister responds to the people in clear English sans the cobwebs of jargon that typically entangle our military pronouncements.

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[barbaram99]

I am appalled that the word church is used.. Anyway..I am not a vet..I do want to thank the vets for service to nation. I am appalled at the role of the war machine and the fighting wars we can't afford and have no businesss there. It is the peoples' money that the military is spending..War is a waste. America is forever using the war on this/that.America is forever sticking her nose in other nations. I wonder what the founding Fathers would have to say if they could see the state of the nation they founded..Someone brought up oil..The govt uses more oil than the the people do..Yet will run out and when not if but when we are not ready for that..Yet it is true that America is fast becoming a 3rd worlrd nation..Anyone with with useable sight can see that. My mother asked me if I planned to have children when I was child bearing age..I told her to her face..No. For health reasons I never had children.. Consgress has only declared war 2 times and that being WW1 and WW2. I am 55.

[hologram5]

Our media employs retired officers, most of them multi-starred generals, in a search for expertise that ends in an unconditional surrender to military agendas.
-----------------------------------------
As long as these toolsheds continue to "fight to lose", were toast. Yes I know, they are generals, I am not. BUT, I study the "Art of WAR" by Sun Tsu, his teachings are why we lost in Vietnam and continue to lose on every front. COME ON MEN, FIGHT TO WIN. USE YOUR FREAKING BRAINS FOR A MOMENT AND GET BACK TO BASICS. Why do you think the Moussad is so successful, their creed is war through deception which is the PRIMARY strategy of Sun Tsu. Really...

[hologram5]

And for those too lazy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War#The_13_chapters

[Freedomforever88]

Cut all federal spending for all departments. In other postings, George Washington was mentioned. He believed that we should not interfere w/ other countries business and he also wanted a small federal gov. The reason Vets have a high unemployment rate is because they are use to intense structure and processes which reduces their flexibilty. The unemployment rate would probably be the same for other fedral employees for the same reason - if the federal gov't ever reduced it's staffing.

[fariborzzak]

Here is my Question:What is US Military Industrial Media Complex?

[RoboBlogger]

The Pentagon is a big building. The question I would like to ask is...has anyone gotten lost in there on accident? Or for the new guy, get sent on an errand looking for a room that doesn't exist.

[Jim1900]

The is an attempt to deflect attention from the real problem, the right-wing Republicans that are elected periodically. But even the Dems are not excused, because they have not cut the defense budget either. To be paying this much after the end of the Cold War is nonsense. It won't protect us from either terrorists or most forms of WMD attacks, and only invites foreign adventures we can't afford.

Apparently they don't teach history any more, or more people would know that George Washington warned us not to get involved in foreign wars in his Farewell Address. And Eisenhower (Ike to some of us) warned against the military-industrial complex. Since he headed the D-Day invasion in WWII and was president at the height of the Cold War, he would know.

Is anyone listening? Just go to Europe (or even Canada) and see the much nicer cities with real public transportation that would put us to shame. They will be far ahead of us when the oil runs out that the military is foolishly trying to "protect". But it is not the military's fault, if the civilians are telling them that is what they should do. So change the civilians.

[edgy44]

The sad fact, is that the military is equipped with antiquated junk. So we are paying a premium for the junk we force the troops to fight with. For every flight hour a plane produces, there is 6 hours of maintenance. Planes are being junked left and right. The planes coming off the assembly line are Lincoln Navigators, and not planes that can support combat troops on the ground. An F-22 is going to be a lot less useful than a loiter type aircraft. The F-22 and the F-35 are overpriced and unmatched to the mission before us. That mission is making muslim extremism more trouble than its worth. A mission that shouldn't cost even 20% of what we are spending.

[6591Hou]

William Astore - Aside from the fact that you have engaged in an extreme apples to oranges comparison between the US and New Zealand, instead I would suggest that you reevaluate where you think your questions should be directed.
The U.S. Military is constantly answerable to the citizens, via the citizen's elected representatives. Those elected representatives should be mindful of their constituent's concerns and issues. Those elected representatives tell the military where to go and what to do, they decide the staffing and funding, they decide when to engage in nation building (which no honest military person will ever tell you is something the military should be involved with).
Your questions are valid, and should be answered, but go after the folks on capital hill for your answers - the essence of civilian control of the military - and don't let up until you get your answers.

[AOCGUY]

Mr Astore, While you pose some good questions you have missed some important points that need to be addressed not the least of which is comparing the New Zealand Defence Force (approx 12K strong) with a budget of less than $2 billion to the US Department of Defence (approx 3 million strong) and a budget of over $650 Billion, engaged in two wars is comparing apples to oranges. Let's start with while the US Military is obviously the department that actively engages in war, it is the National Command Authority (Pres/Sec Def) with the consent and funding from Congress that determines if, when, and where US forces fight. And while the DoD most certainly submits it's wish list in the form of the FYDP and annual budget submissions, it is the Congress that ultimately through the power of the budget that determines not only what and how many weapon systems we have but how many troops there will be to operate those weapon systems. And recent history will show, often it is the Congress that forces unwanted weapon systems on the military becuase they provide jobs and funding for their constituants.

Now as someone who has spent 38 years associated with the military, I may be slighltly biased, your article appears to from a lack of knowledge of the US Military's relationship to the American people and their government.