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U.S. Military Power: Today and Tomorrow March 23, 2003 U.S. Military Power: Today and Tomorrow Over 100 years ago, those involved in the nation’s national security wrestled with many of the same issues that we face today, says General Richard B. Myers (2002). “Then and now, regional powers can threaten the nation’s interest in distant conflict. Then, as now, internal strife from religious hatreds, ethnic rivalry, tribal conflicts, can and often does, lead to bloodletting. And then and now, the U.S. often plays a role in the crisis to restore peace.” To be the watchdog of the 21st Century the U.S. needs to focus on the mainstay of the military; manpower and technology. The central theme of the Bush administration and the United States Department of Defense is focused on “meeting today’s threats while preparing for tomorrow’s challenges” (“Fiscal 2004 DOD Budget,” 2003). This concept brings the spotlight on current military issues such as; sustaining high-quality people, developing new operational concepts, and developing technology to combat future threats. The issue of how to recruit our military manpower is an often debated controversy. In the view of David R. Segal (1989), “Americans have come to separate the benefits of citizenship from service to their country.” The symptoms of this “separation is the current reliance on an all-volunteer military, a system that treats the military service more as an occupation and opportunity for self-advancement than as a civic duty and obligation.” This type function does have its benefits. The current welfare system is a huge benefactor, in that minorities and women have better opportunities at creating a more comfortable lifestyle by being employed by the military branches. The United States’ current military is made up of five branches; Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines (a division of the Navy) and the Coast Guard (which reports to the Navy in times of war). Of these branches our military head count was 1.6 million in 1995 (Cordesman). The total available American manpower (number of males between the ages of 15-49) in 2001 was 71 million. Each of these branches of military service relies on volunteers to fill the needs of the United States. An alternative to the volunteer system the U.S. has now is the draft. Simply stated, the draft would be a lottery type system that would pick, at random, individuals to serve in our military. It is believed that the draft would weaken our military by undermining the vital cohesiveness of the units. With today’s new technology and daily changing events, retention and training are believed to be the most important personnel issues. In order for our military to continue their dominance, it is realized that a common mission must be addressed. The development of operational concepts is necessary to assure successful operations. The current military platform calls for victory determined by attrition. Combat power is generated by increasing the timeliness of critical information to combatants, thereby limiting the enemy’s opportunity (Cohen, 1999).
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