The New Military Paradigm

I had an interesting discussion yesterday about how the US military has shifted the paradigm of military conflict in the world. For years, we prepared for two separate types of conflicts: one against the Soviet Union and one against pretty much anyone else. The Soviets tried to create a similar type of military force and it bankrupted them. And we are now forcing anyone who might think about taking us on to do the same.

The Navy is a prime example of the two separate force theory. The carriers were basically useless against the Soviet Union, especially after the A-12 was cancelled. They have no longer have a deep strike capability. But going against a nation like Iraq, or North Korea, or pretty much anyone else except the Soviets, the carrier is one of the most powerful platforms.

To counter the Soviet threat, the Navy deployed the ballistic missile subs, or boomers. The boomers were the third leg of the nuclear triad – not the carriers or the surface fleet. Why? Because the boomers are survivable whereas the carriers would be difficult to protect from a concerted attack. But the boomers are overkill for virtually all of the battles we will ever fight. A boomer just isn’t needed to go against a third world nation.

But the carriers are the ideal weapon for that situation.

So if you’re the enemy, what do you plan for: the carriers or the boomers? The only real course is to prepare for both, but the financial implications of doing so are enormous.

And what if you’re far enough away from the ocean to not have to worry about the carriers?

The Air Force has also brought on a similar type of shift.

Think about the absolute air superiority we have had in every conflict since the first Persian Gulf war. Since 1990, the Air Force has proven that it is useless to send airplanes up against us or to even bother to have weaponized aircraft. What aircraft we don’t destroy on the ground, we shoot down in the air. Attempting to confront the US Air Force with airplanes is like trying to destroy an Abrahms tank with a dull pitchfork. All that you accomplish is creating a multi-million dollar pile of scrap aluminum and possibly a dead pilot.

The only way to even slow down the US Air Force (or the Naval Air Wing) is to use a huge quantity of the highest quality surface to air missiles. But no one can really afford to attempt to counter just the US. Even though sending up an air force against us is suicide, it may be the factor that shifts the balance of power in regional conflicts.

And our air superiority is leading to an even greater dominance on the ground as it becomes nearly impossible to move without being targeted and destroyed by the Air Force. The great armored battles are in the past. What we don’t destroy from the air, we can outmaneuver, outgun, and outclass with our armor. But we also don’t fight with just armor anymore.

We now fight a combined arms fight. We have fused our air capability with our ground assault strength to create the most mobile and powerful strike force the planet has ever seen. And we have established this while denying our opponent the opportunity to do the same.

No one in the world is currently equipped to fight a conventional war against the US. Nukes are the only option that many of our opponents have. But no one can afford to create a force capable of taking us on, either. The Soviet Union bankrupted itself trying and everyone else would also.

Our economy has allowed us to create this historically unique military force. The US military is relatively more powerful now than the Roman legions were at their peak. Yet, we are the first superpower to not use our military to expand our empire. And that stability has let us build a stronger nation at home, which is further widening the gap between ourselves and the rest of the world.

We have left the rest of the world two choices: you can join with us and partake in our economic miracle or you can oppose us and bankrupt yourself in trying to defend against the indefensible.