On NBC News Saturday, I came across the following, revealing, headline:The U.S. is eager to end its longest war. In interview, Taliban gives little sign it’s ready to change.Aha! The US military is allegedly seeking an end to its Afghan war, but it’s being...
William J. Astore on Memorial Day 1955 – and Today
How far we’ve come as a country. Consider the following proclamation by President Dwight D. Eisenhower for Memorial Day in 1955:“Whereas Memorial Day each year serves as a solemn reminder of the scourge of war and its bitter aftermath of sorrow; and...
William J. Astore on William Westmoreland and the Vietnam War
William Westmoreland (“Westy”) looked like a general should, and that was part of the problem. Tall, handsome, square-jawed, he carried himself rigidly; there was no slouching for Westy. A go-getter, a hard-charger, he did everything necessary to get promoted. He was...
The U.S. Army’s New, Retro, MAGA Uniform
News that the Army is moving to a new, retro, uniform modeled on World War II-era designs got my military friends buzzing. Not so much about the “new” (old) uniform, but all the badges, ribbons, tabs, and related baubles and doodads that adorn US military uniforms...
William J. Astore asks: Are Drone Strikes Cowardly?
A recent article in The National Interest captured an open secret: Donald Trump has been using drone strikes far more than Barack Obama ever did.The Pentagon likes to depict such strikes as incredibly accurate, with few or even no innocents killed. Such a portrayal is...
Dreaming Big About the US Military
As the U.S. military enjoys enormous budgets ($718 billion this year, rising possibly to $750 billion for 2020), Americans are told not to dream big. There might just be a connection here.Due to budget deficits (aggravated by the Trump tax cut for the rich), Americans...
The Syrian Troop Withdrawal That Wasn’t
After calling for all U.S. troops to be pulled out of Syria, President Trump is now in favor of keeping a “small…stabilizing force” there. What a shame. Trump is the ultimate flip-flopper, bowing to the neo-cons and the Washington establishment...
The US Military Is Everywhere
Most Americans would say we have a military for national defense and security. But our military is not a defensive force. Defense is not its ethos, nor is it how our military is structured. Our military is a power-projection force. It is an offensive force. It is...
America’s Mad Nuclear Weapons Surge
As a young captain in the Air Force, I visited Los Alamos National Lab in 1992. The mood there was grim. What use for a lab that develops and tests nuclear weapons when the Cold War with the Soviet Union was over and America was downsizing its nuclear forces? The...
American-Style Drone Warfare and How and When Humans Count
When do humans count in drone warfare, and when do they not?I thought of this question as I read Christopher Fuller’s “See It/Shoot It: The Secret History of the CIA’s Lethal Drone Program.” Revealingly, U.S. pilots and crews who operate these...
