Chaitanya Jyothi Museum Opening, 2000
RAMANAM
In the Name of The Father, and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit, Amen.
Countrymen,
ORBIS NON SUFFICIT
SOLUS DEUS SUFFICIT
I just read the 2018 National Defense Strategy Summary (unclassified, open source version, of course). Here are my thoughts thereon:
1- This is the first time I have seen or recall seeing an NDS use the Oxford Comma. Interesting. Personally I do not use it so it is easy to spot.
2- I see nubs of a grand national strategic objective but not a single statement containing one or both of the key words: freedom and sovereignty. One nub is struggle with specific competitors rather than for regions and influence therein. That’s an advance. Another nub is economic and innovation protection rather than the nebulous peace and prosperity for all. A huge advance.
3- No mention of the theological among the nation’s assets for reliance and growth and to protect. There will not be a proper NDS without this component properly (non-denominationally) inside it. Theology (Logos/Reason) is what connects freedom and sovereignty.
4- Still emotionally tied to US-Europe structures that are, as the document notes, 75 years old. This is not grown up, is becoming lethal to USA sovereignty, ties us to anti-Christian Eurosocialism which is now Euroislam. I expect POTUS will see this fact first-hand at Davos among the preening/fawning self-important.
5- Latter stages of the document understandably get into weeds of various description and one can wade through them, appreciating some. Overall, however, the impression is of too many cooks locking in their favorite tired verbal cliches (aka funding lines). Ideally, one or two people distill the latter part of the document into language that wakens rather than numbs interest.
6- There are passages in the weedy parts that are reactive rather than proactive in re facing enemy activity. These read very un-Mattis-ly. We should be giving enemies and potential enemies headaches, driving their procurement cycles, not assuming they can give us headaches and drive our procurement cycles.
7- The weedy parts are weedy because the early parts are insufficiently clear regarding grand national strategic objective: national and personal freedom driving national sovereignty.
8- The tripartite taxonomy of threats — revisionist states, rogue states and terrorists/non-state actors — is reasonable, or at least understandable, but does not identify the existential character of the states and non-state groups mentioned. Those three threat categories do not fulfill von Clausewitz’s First Rule.
For example, neither China nor Russia is a revisionist state. Both are operating per long and well-known history at precisely the points where their geography weakens their ability to maintain sovereignty. Perfectly reasonable, from their perspective, nothing revisionist about it.
Again, neither Iran nor North Korea is a rogue state. Not only do both act per their history in regard to their geography, Iran has historically-based imperial intentions regarding the ME, and North Korea has historically-based imperial intentions regarding Manchuria and much of China — and could be “forced” to settle for acres of Siberia. Furthermore North Korea’s intentions have a faux-but-strategically/operationally-potent theological root: a family of God-Kings. Rogue against what, against whom? They see any who oppose them as rogue, so self-important are they.
And finally, I think the NDS minimizes the threat from non-state actors (I’ll call them NSAs). Maybe the classified version not does not minimize that threat … ? Considering the NSAs have already cost the USA her GDP several times over ($7B in MENA alone), tens of thousands killed, wounded, widowed/widower’d, fatherless/motherless, grieving — not to mention home-planned mass invasion and subversion by the very enemies who shed our families, blood and treasure — and I would say the NSAs are doing quite well getting under our freedom and security with heavy mining equipment and explosives. And we want to partner with Eurasia, who is overrun and run by well-funded NSAs? And then there are the drug/money-laundering cartels, not a few tied to national governments ….
9- So overall, I’d say this is a good start at an NDS. Give it to five extraordinary guys, to include a theologian, and task them with distilling it under a guiding statement of grand national strategic objective which includes the words freedom and sovereignty. Make the whole document proactive, not just the earlier portions of it.
10- And make common cause with Russia. Russia is Russia, always will be. She is not now and never will be a democratic society as the Latin Church understands that structure. Nor should she ever be. But she has no imperial designs on the USA and, historically, is a close friend of the USA. She should be that now and well — and I expect eagerly — would be given opportunity, opening to be.
Update 1: John Quincy Adams, July 4, 1821: Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will be [America’s] heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.
Update 2: L. Todd Wood: Putin Getting Played By China, Needs A Deal With Trump
Update 3: Contemplating Positions On Chinese Flanks
Update 4: Steve Leonard: You Really Think I’m Irrelevant? LOL. A Letter To Clausewitz Haters From Beyond The Grave
AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA
