See the comments below on an op-ed by Robert M. Gates. He is a very thoughtful person, well versed in geopolitics and the art of war at the policy level. He sees the changes coming and we should also recognize the “wind has shifted” significantly.
Earlier I wrote about a “return to civil defense” as an area of emphasis for emergency management. That is easy to see coming — as soon as the 2022 federal fiscal year funding. What that will look like is anyone’s guess. My only thinking is that it won’t be the civil defense of the 1950-60s. There might be equipment, but it’s more likely that planning will be the new “requirement.”
See below:
Robert M. Gates, the former defense secretary (under George W. Bush and Barack Obama) and CIA director (under George H.W. Bush), has seen more than his share of instability, conflict and the use of American power.
So, when someone of his experience (and measured phrases) writes that the American people need to rethink their global strategy in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it’s wise to pay attention.
In a longer-than-normal op-ed, Bob calls our approach “woefully insufficient” to contend with an alliance between Moscow and Beijing and calls for new investments in both military and nonmilitary instruments of power — a large military and more foreign aid and engagement overseas.
Though he believes we are neither properly equipped nor mentally prepared for another generation-long “global struggle” with authoritarianism, he is certain that is what we are facing.
“Putin’s war reminds us that the world is a dangerous, deadly place. And that we are in a global contest with two ruthless, authoritarian powers that are determined to achieve their aspirations through any means,” Bob writes.
“A new strategy addressing global challenges to America — and all democracies — in the 21st century requires significant changes to U.S. national security structures that are, for the most part, a legacy of the late 1940s. If we can avoid war with Russia and China, our rivalry with them will be waged using nonmilitary instruments of power — the same kind of instruments that played a significant role in winning the Cold War: diplomacy, development assistance, strategic communications, science and technology, ideology, nationalism, and more.”
