A comprehensive outline for restructuring our military to create a force more geared to defense of self and national interests, domestic and abroad.
– Rename the department as War Department. It has never been much about defense and we might as well call it what it does – break things and kill people.
– Navy: increase the number of ships to bulk up the overall ability of the Navy to project power across the seas. Modern warships seem little stronger than the old wooden ships, so we need to build to a new standard. Much of what we will be using will be patrol boats, so cruisers and large destroyers seem to fit the bill. Cutters of various strengths, but with speed, for more local water patrolling, mostly against the drug trade, but possibly also for Med usage. There needs to be some out-of-the-box thinking, much like Joshua Humphreys. More nuclear power, both because it is economical and because there would be more power available.
– Marine Corps: to be the bulk of the “shock troops”. Consider beefing the Corps to 3 full divisions, to rotate as one in training and two positioned for east and west usage. Prepared to embark on no more then 3 day notice with full gear and equipment for deployment anywhere in the world. Packages developed for specialized deployment (hot vs cold weather).
– SpecOps: Still to be trained by the various services but all to serve under a singular command. This pretty much already exists. To be used when deploying a Marine unit considered overkill. eg. small mobile raids and strikes and intel ops.
– Army: a scattering of units to act as developers of new tactics, equipment, and strategy and the core about which a more significant mobilization can be performed. Remainder of units to all be designated and operated as National Guard and Reserve units about the nation. No major-sized unit from any one area in order not to draw too many youth into a single unit with an eye to possible future casualties. Drill pay to be improved, training to be improved, duration of contract increased, incentives to be improved. Regular exercises of larger units consisting of various Guard and Reserve units participating jointly to renew lines of communication, leadership skills, combined tactical expertise.
– Air Force: Decrease in overall size, with new emphasis on recon, fighter ops, ground support ops. Specialized functions to be kept/ placed in Guard/Reserve. Create a system whereby fighter pilots can be trained and maintain skill sets across the nation. Transport and Refueling to remain Guard/Reserve.
– ?How do we pay for all this. By closing the Departments of Energy and HEW (or whatever its current alphabet name is.) IRS to be downsized to 20% of current size. No income tax; all excise taxes as originally envisioned.
Rough outline, with room for LOTS of comments and suggested improvements. When we’re done we might even send it to Donald and Mattis.



I agree with much of what you propose, except it makes the Marines the Army and the Army the reserve.
I am wondering if we will ever need to deploy a few armor divisions to take ground and hold it for a period of time.
I do know a lot of forces deployed are tripwires to discourage stupid acts by adversaries.
If we ever need a mechanism to turn a few million civilians into soldiers, the Army has always done that. Maybe we will not ever need it again.
Maybe that is what the Army does, is be a three million man force of reserves.
If we make a serious tech investment in earth orbital weaponry, extreme sea and airlift capability including sub orbital transport which can land serious payload anywhere we can reduce the need for large foreign bases.
Interesting. Do we go from Large, lethal and slow to small, lethal and quick? Or do we still need mass , but delivered faster?
Is someone trying to write “War and Peace” here? ;-)
I thought it was “War and Peace- Part 2, They’re Back and They are Really Mad Now”
Just talking about basically interconnected ideas. Hope Seawriter has input – he knows a lot of history.
In a sense, you are correct. Look at the Army and you find a large, hulking organization. They think at battalion size; smaller doesn’t count. In that sense, the need for them will be limited but possible in the future. I would expect that an Army much in the reserves would be easily mobilized and sent to war.
The Marine Corps has always been quicker and more lethal but kind of in a limited way. The Marine Corps was at it largest size ever in Vietnam. The war there matched the Marines; Westmoreland did not, and he was the boss.
My proposal is to use the Marine Corps as a larger lightening strike. ?Want to take out Rejka – sent a BLT. ?Need something bigger, send an RLT. Task organize so the group has the resources to complete the job. Note that ONLY the Marine Corps has all the elements for combat. They have medium (and now Abrams, which are heavy tanks but act as mediums) tanks, artillery, helo transport, 130 for tactical lift, and fighters for both air superiority and air-to-mud. Marines have long been proud of their Air-Ground team.