Always good to hear from you WM.
We can have one of our rare disagreements on this esoteric topic.
I sincerely hope the The Mass. Board of Registration in Medicine as a state agency is not unduly responsive to the State Medical Association as is ours in Florida (though we are getting better...). Nationwide, the various Medical Boards and Registries are effectively self regulating with minimal government oversight; that is not true of the Armed forces -- if it were, then OCLL would be a much smaller and far cheaper operation than it is.
I also note the Lawyers have assured themselves of a voting majority on the Board of Bar Overseers. One could wish for such representation on the two ASCs. ;)
One of the penalties of being old is that one recalls things. Like the screaming and wailing of old Marines, Officer and Enlisted, when the UCMJ was first promulgated in 1951. "Congress has sold us down the river..." :D
However, all that said, I do realize the desire and logical conclusions of many opt for the 'Profession' as opposed to trade -- and I really have no problem with that. I simply have another opinion and voice it on occasion by pointing out that a good many effective wielders of violence for political ends are not professionals in any sense and thus, I attempt to discourage the fatal flaw of allowing one's ego to impede common sense leading to underestimating one's opponents -- a too consistent American failure. :rolleyes:
The Platypus is an interesting allegorical choice, it is indeed a mammal -- but it does lay eggs. Venomous, too. Not many of them about, though... ;)
Exactly, not professional but profession of arms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
slapout9
Maybe Ken is right? One could say that the American Army is not a Professional Army in the sense that the fundamental definition of a Professional is one who renders a service for a fee, hence a true professional army is a mercenary army. But the American Army might be better considered a Citizen Army and they serve out of a sense of duty and love of country as opposed to monetary gain. Instead of being Professional, the American people expect them to be competent and expert at waging War and Warfare. Just a thought.
Slap, this is exactly right. We are not talking professional, or professionalism but, as you say, a profession of arms "competent and expert at waging War and Warfare". The profession matins expert knowledge of war.
Also, your link to the old movie about the coup was spot on for depicting the civil military relationship. I see this part of the profession (civil/military) easier to envision and it has much clearer lines of demarcation. Whereas, the military/military (joint and foreign) relationships are
more challenging to describe.
1964 was the year for nuke, agitprop movies
We had Dr Strangelove (released 29 Jan 1964) and the lesser-remembered Fail Safe (released 7 Oct 1964) (on cable a month or so ago), which were of the "Big Boom cuz of Screwup" genre.
We had Slap's Seven Days in May (released 12 Feb 1964), of the "Big Conspiracy" genre - timely as being released a few months after JFK was killed.
We also had the 7 Sep 1964 Daisy Ad, which played on fears that the Dr Strangelove and Fail Safe scenarios would actually play out. That is, if the electorate allowed "conspiratorial nutcases" (i.e., Goldwater et al) to assume the reins of power.
Such was 1964 Hollywood's normative view of the military (scarcely in its eyes a profession of arms at flag officer level). While I hated that view then and now, I admit to some addiction with the films themselves. But, I also appreciate The Battleship Potemkin :D.
More recently, we find another fan of "Seven Days" in a high place:
Pentagon Memo: Gates Sees Fallout From Troubled Ties With Pakistan
Quote:
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
Published: January 23, 2010
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Nobody else in the Obama administration has been mired in Pakistan for as long as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. So on a trip here this past week to try to soothe the country’s growing rancor toward the United States, he served as a punching bag tested over a quarter-century.
.....
His final message delivered, he relaxed on the 14-hour trip home by watching “Seven Days in May,” the cold war-era film about an attempted military coup in the United States.
Too bad he didn't write a review for us.
Cheers
Mike
Interesting that SECDEF Gates watched this movie.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jmm99
We had
Dr Strangelove (released 29 Jan 1964) and the lesser-remembered
Fail Safe (released 7 Oct 1964) (on cable a month or so ago), which were of the "Big Boom cuz of Screwup" genre.
We had Slap's
Seven Days in May (released 12 Feb 1964), of the "Big Conspiracy" genre - timely as being released a few months after JFK was killed.
We also had the
7 Sep 1964 Daisy Ad, which played on fears that the Dr Strangelove and Fail Safe scenarios would actually play out. That is, if the electorate allowed "conspiratorial nutcases" (i.e., Goldwater et al) to assume the reins of power.
Such was 1964 Hollywood's normative view of the military (scarcely in its eyes a profession of arms at flag officer level). While I hated that view then and now, I admit to some addiction with the films themselves. But, I also appreciate
The Battleship Potemkin :D.
More recently, we find another fan of "Seven Days" in a high place:
Pentagon Memo: Gates Sees Fallout From Troubled Ties With Pakistan
Too bad he didn't write a review for us.
Cheers
Mike
Mike,
Yes, too bad he didn't write a review in light of Bob Woodward's recent book "Obama's Wars" showing similar tension actually happening.
But it is difficult to know the full story having only read one side. Still it is Interesting that SECDEF Gates watched this movie.
That is a quote of the week!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
wm
The armed forces of this country were unprepared to perform COIN because America "hired" its military to defend it from aggression--what the Preamble describes as "provide for the common defense." How conducting COIN in Iraq or Afghanistan provides for the common defense of the USA escapes me.
I'd cannot add to that but will comment the conduct of COIN anywhere short of an adjunct operation in a major war is neither the job of the Armed Forces or one best performed by them...