This looks to me like one of these slow-mo revolutions that gets overlooked until its over. Like auto’s impact on mating habits of American teens.
Any thoughts on what this all means?
mark:
March 20th, 2007 at 4:51 am
Thank you.
It means that:
The population has partially disconnected from the state in that the civic militarism is lacking for a draft which the elite does not dare attempt to impose ( or even want to impose on its own class, as the elite has less innate civic responsibility than the public at large and far less than the demographic core of our volunteer military). Or even properly raise and pay for armies of volunteers.
The Pentagon is losing the logistical arts to put what people they do have where they should be – we had arabic linguists pushing brooms and delivering mail in DC instead of doing their jobs in Iraq. Hiring legions of PMC contractors masks that deterioration as does our loss of small unit nimble flexibility and our need to evade self-imposed and scenario-blind, slow to change, ROE.
Economics combines with politics to act as drivers here. PMCs have positive uses within a certain range -a modest one – but not on an enormous scale. Systemic costs accumulate and escalate.
Fabius Maximus:
March 20th, 2007 at 5:12 am
That is disturbing.
Quite odd to me how we’re bidding against ourselves for our best people. We give contracts, they offer 2x pay increases to our SOF people, then we pay the contractor 4x.
Fabius Maximus:
March 20th, 2007 at 3:46 am
Excellent article — great catch to post so fast.
This looks to me like one of these slow-mo revolutions that gets overlooked until its over. Like auto’s impact on mating habits of American teens.
Any thoughts on what this all means?
mark:
March 20th, 2007 at 4:51 am
Thank you.
It means that:
The population has partially disconnected from the state in that the civic militarism is lacking for a draft which the elite does not dare attempt to impose ( or even want to impose on its own class, as the elite has less innate civic responsibility than the public at large and far less than the demographic core of our volunteer military). Or even properly raise and pay for armies of volunteers.
The Pentagon is losing the logistical arts to put what people they do have where they should be – we had arabic linguists pushing brooms and delivering mail in DC instead of doing their jobs in Iraq. Hiring legions of PMC contractors masks that deterioration as does our loss of small unit nimble flexibility and our need to evade self-imposed and scenario-blind, slow to change, ROE.
Economics combines with politics to act as drivers here. PMCs have positive uses within a certain range -a modest one – but not on an enormous scale. Systemic costs accumulate and escalate.
Fabius Maximus:
March 20th, 2007 at 5:12 am
That is disturbing.
Quite odd to me how we’re bidding against ourselves for our best people. We give contracts, they offer 2x pay increases to our SOF people, then we pay the contractor 4x.
That’s logic!