The Transformation of the U.S. Military

Recent years have seen a dramatic transformation of the United States military in a variety of ways, both due to the development of domestic and international events, and also in an effort for the military itself to serve as a catalyst for events themselves. With this in mind, this paper will discuss the factors involved in this process, evaluate the achievement of end goals, and conclude with insights for the benefit of soldiers as they find themselves preparing for what lies ahead in the mysterious darkness of the future.

Factors That Led to the Perceived/Actual Need to Transform

While there are countless factors that have led to transformation of the US military in one way or another, and these factors could indeed easily fill volumes and thousands of pages, there are two prominent factors that have enacted a tremendous amount of military evolution, so to speak. Quickly identified, and then explained in more details, these factors are complications in narcodiplomacy and the battle against international terrorism.

First, a discussion of narcodiplomacy, which on the surface sounds like an exotic term of some sort, but in reality is nothing more than the exportation of US anti-drug policy and tactics to other nations, courtesy of the military (Friman, 1996). This action has been undertaken because of the accidental and deliberate failure of other nations to stem the flow of illegal drugs from their nations into the US; therefore, the American military has taken a proactive approach to lower the amount of imported illegal substances by cutting off the supply directly at the source. The roots of this effort began in the early 1900s against nations such as Germany and Japan, and have expanded to include the nations of South America, just to name a few.

The international US military effort to fight terrorism is similar in some ways to the narcodiplomacy issue; for many years, terrorism was something that Americans only heard about as happening somewhere else, and certainly not on the soil of the US- of course, September 11, 2001 changed all of that and propelled the US military into a new chapter of its history, as the mission to meet, and defeat, terrorist threats anywhere on the face of the earth, again at their source, became a major military directive and priority, with the objective being military superiority over any enemy that exists (Klare, 2002).

Looking at the wars against drugs and terror, of course there are areas where they intersect, for in many instances, one feeds off of, and aggravates the other. Beyond this, these crises have led to the creation of policies to achieve the given ends. A better understanding of the topic is likewise gained by looking at these policies in more detail.

Key Policies Enacted to Effect the Desired Transformation

The war on drugs, and the requirements of fighting that war, has sparked both domestic and international drug enforcement policies so that drugs could be curtailed for the best interests of all parties involved.

At home, in America itself, the US military has developed law enforcement policies which could in fact be seen as a variation of the traditional charge to protect the nation and its people from all enemies foreign and domestic, as drug trafficking in the US involves both. As a result, the military has taken on law enforcement policies along with those normally associated with war situations, such as the task of arresting drug offenders and the like.

On a global scale, policy came in the form of the United Nations Convention of 1988, which acknowledged that illicit drugs were as dangerous an international enemy as any army or rogue nation, and that definite action needed to be taken in response to the threat (Friman, 1996). The Convention gave the US military a sort of police persona, compelling them to take on the responsibilities of drug enforcement agents.

Leading Forces That Shaped Policies Pursued in Order to Achieve Transformation

In the process of investigating the similarities between battling illegal drugs and terror by the US military, there seems to be some parallel forces at work that have shaped the policies that the military has undertaken, for better or for worse. The more widespread of the two, what has been called "the quest to change hearts and minds", has become a sort of catch phrase of the US military when controversial actions are taken (Mockaitis and Rich, 2003). Ostensibly, this quest has been justified based upon a belief that American ideals are what every nation wants; while few would debate that being killed by terrorists, and the crime and pain of drug abuse is a scourge in any society, the intrusion that the US military commits is sometimes akin to the means not justifying the ends. The other, the protection of America's homeland, again is justified from the viewpoint of the American people, but is viewed by other nations as less than desirable in many cases.

How Well the Desired End State Has Been Achieved

In both the case of drug activity and that of international/domestic terrorism, in fairness, there have been gains and losses, successes and failures. Therefore, when discussing a desired end state, that achievement is best presented not as a black and white issue, but rather one exhibiting shades of grey. To be more specific, one must look at exact objectives and the relative success and/or failure of each.

Narcodiplomacy, as enacted by the US military, has a mixed scorecard. In a perfect world, the desired end state of course would be a world that is free of drug traffic and drug abuse, but this is simply not the case for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the demand for illegal drugs is large enough that suppliers and customers will defy even one of the most powerful armies that the world has ever known in the quest to sell and buy these drugs respectively. However, the US military has made huge strides in fighting drug activity both domestically and abroad, which likely has saved thousands, if not millions of lives.

Anti-terrorism action by the US military has also seen its share of triumphs and setbacks; once again, in the ideal situation, all terrorist activity in the US, and elsewhere, would be able to be exterminated by military action. However, both the extent and growth rate of terrorist activity has increased over the years. Ironically enough, much of the terrorist activity that has come about in recent years can be blamed on provocation by the US military when forces are deployed in sovereign nations, such as Iraq, which provokes terrorists into new activity in some instances (Mockaitis and Rich, 2003). New activity leads to additional military actions on the part of the US, and a vicious circle continues.

Despite the absence of clear cut answers that will solve these challenging issues once and for all, there are some insights that have been gained through the process of this research which could practically be applied by soldiers as they stand at the threshold of a rapidly changing world that will surely present new challenges.

Insights Gained That Soldiers Can Apply as They Prepare for the Challenges Ahead

In closing, it is interesting to present some insights that the research has generated; these insights could be very valuable to soldiers as they prepare to face the challenges they have yet to face.

First, and perhaps the most glaring insight, is that while the US military is doing good in fighting dangerous items such as terror and drugs, soldiers must likewise realize that not every nation is interested in the American way of life. With this insight firmly fixed in their minds, US soldiers can temper their attitudes and actions to respect the beliefs and rights of foreigners while still following orders. Second, soldiers should realize that simply because they represent America, the outright hatred for all things American by some nations could cost the soldiers their lives simply by wearing the uniform of the US. Lastly, soldiers could, and should, come to the understanding that they can question the orders they are given without being mutinous; in other words, soldiers should be able to evaluate what they are being made to do against the ancient adages of right and wrong.

In closing, the challenges, actions and responsibilities of the US military has grown in scope and complexity in recent years. However large these become, however, common sense and civility must remain, lest the military become as bad, or worse, than what they oppose.
References

Friman, H. R. (1996). Narcodiplomacy: Exporting the U.S. War on Drugs. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Klare, M. (2002, July 15). Endless Military Superiority : THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT'S NEW DOCTRINE CALLS FOR SPENDING BILLIONS BUILDING A MILITARY THAT WILL BE CAPABLE OF MEETING ANY THREAT, ANYWHERE, AT ANY TIME. The Nation, 275, 12.

Mockaitis, T. & B.Rich, P. (Eds.). (2003). Grand Strategy in the War against Terrorism. London: Frank Cass.