Since taking office, President Obama has closely examined the state of America’s military and tried to create a better homecoming for veterans. After campaigning to end the nation’s military engagement in Iraq, Obama announced support for his generals’ proposals to send more troops to Afghanistan. Like the five sides of the Pentagon, we at ScoopDaily have subdivided the dimensions of America’s military and its future, as the President considers expanded deployments.

(1) The Generation Gap

Tens of thousands of veterans under the age of 30 are coming home being promised college money and veterans’ health care. This is burdening the already overextended bureaucracy at the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Both sides of that benefits reception desk are looking at the tough times faced by veterans after the Vietnam War, thinking about how do improve veteran transition to civilian life. The Department of Veterans Benefits estimated in 2008 they would face 10,000 new war patients each month in 2009, while some groups like Veterans for Common Sense believe the numbers for this year will prove to be higher. These young veterans have also been promised college money under the new Post 9/11 G.I. Bill and will pose another challenge for the VA, which is frantically trying to make all its records electronic. 

(2) Overextended…

This war revealed what the military will do for the manpower to win a war, including dropping enlistment requirements for age and letting felons into the military. Even with these changes, nearly 40 percent of the approximately 2 million troops who have served in the War on Terror since 2001 have served more than one tour, according to Army Human Resources data. One policy that has not loosened despite the demand for troops is the military’s 1993 “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” rule, which gay rights groups continue to pressure Obama about. According to October 2009 government records approximately 13,000 troops have been discharged under that policy since 1993. Also, women accounted for 15 percent of all active-duty and reserve military personnel in 2008 but made up more than one-third of the 619 people discharged that year because of their sexual orientation.

(3) War, Inc. 

One of the reasons the military has not had a draft despite being overextended is because they made warfare a corporate enterprise. According to the Congressional Research Service, contractors in 2009 accounted for 48 percent of the D.O.D. work force in Iraq and 57 percent in Afghanistan.Their role in sensitive battlefield area has to be normalized and the future of corporate war without international consent has to be recognized. Cases and accusations of misconduct against companies including Blackwater and KBR (formerly part of Halliburton) have been glossed over due to questions of proper government jurisdiction. Part of that extensive use of military contractors and security companies means that even if the U.S. Army leaves, American citizens will likely still train the new national armies, sell them weapons and cook their food. They may even be used as mercenaries to fight their battles. 

(4) The Regional Politics of “The Long War”

As the man says, when you break it, you buy it. Ideology doesn’t play a factor in my assessment of how I view what John McCain called “The Long War of the 21^st Century,” President Obama just announced he would send four combat brigades and thousands more troops to Afghanistan by mid-2010 and it’s likely American flags will stay in the Middle East for years to come even beyond that. The U.S. presence in the Middle East has opened old wounds in the region’s society. It’s even fueled feuds in other nearby regions, including Pakistan and India’s contest for influence in Afghanistan.

While America’s military risks mission creep and becoming a pawn, complete departure would also destabilize the region. While that realization is being driven home to Americans, people remain divided on what to do about it. Forty-eight percent of Americans favored a decision by President Obama to send more troops to Afghanistan, while 45 percent opposed it, according to Gallup Polling in October. Opinions on Afghanistan’s government are less ambiguous. The Obama administration recognizes that success means not only military presence but the support of and Afghan government that has no ties to same opium trade used to fund insurgents and terrorists. 

Setting aside the political future of Iraq for a moment, complete withdrawal from that nation promises to be a logistical mess. The 2003 invasion had miles-long convoys snaking into Iraq with tons of heavy machinery, which could make fat prizes for the black market and easy prey for guerrillas if withdrawal happens all at once. Construction of the world’s largest embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone also ensures that at least contractors will continue America’s military presence even after the bulk of the U.S. military leaves. 

(5) The Identity Crisis

So what is the future role of America’s military now that the American Century has ended?

The Bush Administration planned for a smaller nimble military, and while our goal has become counter-insurgency, we remain faced with the problem of occupation. With guerrilla combat against soldiers without uniforms being the new norm in 21st century warfare, the Rules of Engagement are very frustrating to soldiers who see people with weapons but can’t attack or detain them. 

Many nations send token troops to say they fight with Americans, but what will happen when the coming Lisbon Treaty takes effect and the European Union consolidates its own proper fighting force? With Obama reinvigorating diplomatic efforts abroad, what role will America’s military play?  

America has rarely used alliances to start a war since the Korean War, but after a recession like this one it’s clear that any future wars would be much easier on our economy if we had international support.

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