You know what they say: If at first you don't succeed, keep plodding on for two decades with no hope for victory.
That's the story about the Afghanistan war in a nutshell.
Despite the fact that recruits will soon enter boot camp to train to fight in a war that began before they were born, Army Gen. Mark Milley said it is too soon to pull out of Afghanistan.
"I think pulling out prematurely would be a strategic mistake," Milley said during his July 11 confirmation hearing to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.'
An aerial view of the Pentagon building in Washington, June 15, 2005. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended the Guantanamo prison against critics who want it closed by saying U.S. taxpayers have a big financial stake in it and no other facility could replace it at a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday. (Reuters/Jason Reed JIR/CN)
With Adm. Bill Moran's abdication three weeks before he was due to become chief of naval operations, the Pentagon has yet another vacancy to fill with precious few days left before Congress goes on summer break.
As of Monday, a total of 20 top positions across the U.S. military are vacant, including defense secretary, Air Force secretary, and inspector general, said Heather Babb, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
Two officials have been confirmed by the Senate but have yet to assume their official duties: Christopher Scolese as director of the National Reconnaissance Office and Veronica Daigle as Assistant Defense Secretary for readiness, Babb said.
A global "technology war" that will likely shape U.S. economic and national security well into the twenty-first century is emerging. Many technologies have become the focus of this war, with winners and losers are already beginning to emerge. At this point, the United States finds itself at a distinct disadvantage.
Ironically, the seeds of this emerging conflict were inadvertently sown by the United States. The world has seen the impact of technology—how it has led to the buildup of significant wealth and overwhelming military capacity with global reach. With approximately one-quarter of the global gross domestic product and military spending that exceeds the spending of the next seven nations combined, the United States became what some have labelled the world's "hyperpower." And others want in, which has meant growing competition and now an emerging tech war.
(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Pfc. Hannah Baker, 109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/Released)
President Donald Trump has vowed that "brand new Sherman tanks" will be on display this July 4th in Washington, D.C., and no one in the military seems to have an idea what the living hell he is talking about.
The "Salute to America" this year is meant to pay tribute to the U.S. military. Speaking to reporters on Monday, the president said the event will showcase the latest fighter aircraft and tanks.
"We have to put them in certain areas but we have the brand new Sherman tanks and we have the brand new Abram tanks," Trump said, according to a pool report.
"You know we're making a lot of new tanks right now. We're building a lot of new tanks in Lima, Ohio – our great tank factory that people wanted to close down until I got elected and I stopped it from being closed down, and now it's a very productive facility and they do, nobody's the greatest tank in the world."