The Greatness of the American Military

America is the only remaining world superpower and it is undeniable that it is the most prosperous and free country in the history of mankind. There are many factors that have contributed to this success and at the top of that list is the greatness of the United States Armed Forces. Yet, many Americans, especially those in the media, are quick to condemn the military for the mistakes it makes. Front page coverage is devoted to blunders such as Abu Ghraib, accidental civilian deaths on the battlefield, errant bombs in Afghanistan, and the recent purported Marine killings. Yet the atrocities of America’s Islamist enemies are downplayed. TV networks will not show 9/11 victims at the World Trade Center being burned alive as they plummet to their deaths. The innocent civilian blood shed by suicide bombers and the gruesome nature of terrorist beheaders is rarely emphasized. It is these actions by the worldwide Islamic terrorist movement that force the American military to conduct a campaign not of diplomatic niceties, but of war. The detractors of the military seem to forget that war is brutal and you cannot win a war with a brutal enemy by being polite.

In America it is easy to forget how unique democracy is around the world. Americans have enjoyed continuous democracy for over two centuries. The vast majority of Europeans cannot make this claim due to the effects of Nazism and Communism in the past 75 years. The entire continent of Africa is shrouded in incompetent totalitarianism and South America and Asia still rely, in large part, on dictatorships and repressive regimes. Many countries that are lucky enough to have self-rule have America to thank for their freedom. Japan, Europe, Central America, South Korea, Columbia, and now Iraq all have the distinction of being protected or liberated by the America.

Today the American military is shouldering most of the burden in fighting Muslim fanaticism around the world. Europe, the historic America ally, simply doesn’t want to engage in the fight. The old wealth of old Europe has allowed it to grow complacent. It enjoys the fruits of freedom, but is unwilling to sacrifice anything for it. Conversely, Americans are willing to die to preserve their way of life because they realize how special and rare true freedom has been over the course of human history. Although it seems that America is increasingly alone in this fight, this position is not new to America. In all the major wars of the 20th century, America gave the most in defense of freedom. America was the deciding factor against German nationalism in World War I, led the Allied powers against German Nazism, Italian fascism, and Japanese imperialism in World War II, battled communism in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and finally defeated communism in the Cold War. In every one of these conflicts the American people gave up blood and treasure to ensure that freedom would not only be preserved, but expanded in the world.

Today, the United States has overwhelming military superiority over any country in the world. No one even comes close. All the enemies of America know that they cannot win either a nuclear or conventional conflict against the United States. As a result, they must wage asymmetrical warfare by using terrorist tactics. These tactics increase the burden on America because it has rules of engagement that others will not respect. Terrorists in Iraq and around the world realize that they will enjoy most of the protections of the Geneva Convention while violating all of its provisions. They can kidnap civilians, behead captives, and torture innocents without facing any significant repercussions, while the American military cannot even make a mistake without it becoming the focus of the worldwide media.

As a result, terrorists have come to realize that the way to defeat America is too kill its will to fight. Their logic is based on the premise that America is more concerned about suffering than inflicting losses and more worried about what others think of it. They cannot deal with American tanks, fighter planes, and Marines, so they try to win by convincing the American public the fight is not worthwhile, so American politicians will, in turn, lose the war by not allowing the military to fight it.

Since America is a free society that seeks to maintain the moral high ground, American military power is defined by how it is constrained. While the Islamic fanatics actively seek to inflict causalities on civilians, America spends billions on advanced equipment designed to minimize collateral damage. Despite the enormous burden America places on itself when it goes to war, international organizations and others on the left condemn any attempt by America to fight a war at all. Coerced interrogations are criticized as torture and calls for the closing of the Guantanomo Bay detention facility are continuous. However, no plausible alternative means for fighting terror around the world are offered. Meanwhile, Middle East terrorists attack innocent civilians and behead their captives with impunity without any denunciation by the same people that insist America fight a perfect war.

War is messy and it should be remembered that the mistakes of the American military are not morally equivalent to the ruthlessness of the terrorist movement. The troops fighting the war on terror today deserve the unconditional support of every free human being alive and the greatness of the American military should never be forgotten even though it is easy to take for granted.

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~ The Conservative Guy