“Should The U.S. Military Be the World’s Cop?”

By Mark Thompson | @MarkThompson_DC | July 29, 2011 | +

Following World War II, perhaps it was inevitable that the U.S. military would be consigned to walking beats around the world like a neighborhood cop — from Europe to Asia — especially as the Cold War heated up. But now that the Cold War has been over for a generation, does it still fall to the U.S. to patrol the world’s hotspots — especially when that means that other, just as wealthy nations, might be getting a free ride? Your Battleland trooper debates the topic with John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security, along with Nora Bensahel, a military strategist now at CNAS, and retired Army lieutenant general Dave Barno.

Related Topics: dave barno, nora bensahel, Command Post, National Security

@TIME

Latest on Battleland

Afghanistan May 21, 2012

Only One Year of U.S.-Led Fighting Left

President Obama’s goal at the NATO summit this week is looking increasingly clear: wrap up U.S. troops’ combat role over the coming year, and get the allies to pay more money to enable the Afghan military to fill the gap.

Missile Defense May 21, 2012

House Pushes for East Coast Missile Shield

The House has approved a $643 billion defense-spending bill for 2013 that’s $3.7 billion more than the Obama Administration, and its Pentagon, is seeking. That’s just about the same amount the Congressional Budget Office estimates the House bill’s push for an East Coast missile shield will cost over the next five years.

Military Spending May 21, 2012

The Pentagon’s “Washington Monument Strategy”

Whenever federal bureaucrats running the nation’s parks get antsy that their purse is likely to shrink, they roll out something long known as the “Washington Monument strategy.” That’s the tried-and-true technique of warning the public that if money isn’t forthcoming, one of the first budget cuts will force the shutting down of the popular obelisk to Washington, D.C., tourists.