It should not be a zero sum game... IE, having the ability to dominate at the high end with "transformational forces" should not exclude having the capability to do a manpower-intensive lower end COIN war... we need to maintain a spectrum of capabilities. If the nation can't afford both, then maybe we should avoid COIN ops/nation building-if you're not willing to do it right/spend the money to do it right, then you shouldn't do it at all. Clearly we must be able to protect our survival and vital interests, which typically won't involve COIN but more high intensity conflict.
Cliff,

I thought your post was good and thought provoking. But, I take issue with the elimination of COIN and thinking our vital interests won't necessarily involve COIN. Most did not think Iraq would see an insurgency...often times we may go somewhere and find ourselves in a COIN role. Eliminating training for that or ignoring it will see us in our current situation (or 2004 in Iraq) or leaving because we don't want to do it. You have to have both...how expensive is COIN? I'm willing to bet a lot cheaper to train than to buy a lot of the weapons we currently have and probably don't need.