U.S. Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, has announced that he is going to shrink the size of his nation’s military to its pre-World War II levels.
Hagel provided two reasons why the Obama Administration is planning to get rid of nearly a hundred thousand of its troops.
First, he said, was “the reality of reduced resources.” Secondly, he referred to “a changing strategic environment [that] requires us to prioritize and make difficult choices.”
Today, we are going to skip the first reason, as there is not really much to be said about the fact that the U.S. economy continues to struggle and does not seem capable of funding a massive army like it used to be.
What we are rather interested in discussing is the second reason. What does “ a changing strategic environment” really mean? Does it imply we’re now living in a new era where the U.S. finds it irrelevant to maintain the current level of manpower in its armed forces?
Joining me to discuss this subject is Lawrence J. Korb, a Senior Fellow at American Progress. Previously, Dr. Korb served as assistant secretary of defense from 1981 through 1985.
Also here in Washington, Richard Weitz, a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at Hudson Institute, joins us. His current research includes U.S. foreign, defense, and homeland security policies.
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