Joint Force 2020

When I was a kid in the 70s one of the Saturday morning cartoons I enjoyed was Sealab 2020. Now we have Joint Force 2020. What do they have in common you ask. They are both works of fiction, although Hanna Barbara did a better job of selling it's story.

My good friend Chris W, a retired Army Colonel sent the 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance with a forwarded comment of another colonel:

Contains every buzzword congealed into a sizeable mound of crap or am I being to harsh?

I made a comment to Chris about his poor English (to or too) but we are talking an infantry officer here!

The entire 16 page piece is nothing but propaganda but I found this really interesting.

...Our defense efforts in the Middle East will be aimed at countering violent extremists and destabilizing threats, as well as upholding our commitment to allies and partner states. Of particular concern are the proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction (WMD). U.S. policy will emphasize Gulf security, in collaboration with Gulf Cooperation Council countries when appropriate, to prevent Iran’’s development of a nuclear weapon
capability and counter its destabilizing policies. The United States will do this while standing up for Israel’’s security and a comprehensive Middle East peace. To support these objectives, the United States will continue to place a premium on U.S. and allied militarypresence in –– and support of –– partner nations in and around this region...

Countering violent extremists? From the administration that led the Muslin Brotherhood in taking Egypt and the overthrow of an ally for almost 30 years. Have they really been that concerned about the Iranians and their expansion. In 2009 their was an uprising of people in Iran against the regime and for some reason that wasn't part of people power or whatever tripe is popular this week. That Arab Spring died a terrible death and for some reason the administration was not concerned.

There is an old saying about being an American advisory can be bad but to be an ally can be deadly. Ask Hosea Mubarak.