OPINION:
Success in Libya should put to rest the notion that every military action is another Vietnam War waiting to happen (“Gadhafi caught, killed in Libya,” Page 1, Friday).
With overwhelming airpower, NATO prevented a bloodbath in the country, gave persistent cover to the rebels, who lacked air forces of their own, and even drove Moammar Gadhafi into the line of fire at the end, all without U.S. ground involvement or any whiff of quagmire.
From Pakistan to Yemen to the oceans off Somalia, America’s enemies are confronting a new reality: There’s no hiding from our satellite reconnaissance, no defense against our precision drones and missiles and no stopping our lethal special forces. Such capabilities - unmatched by our enemies or friends - allow America to defend its global interests without moving massive armies or occupying hostile ground.
But the budget cuts moving through Congress would put these unique advantages at risk. We’ve already cut investment in research and modernization down to a quarter of defense expenditures and just 1.3 percent of gross domestic product, after then-Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates canceled $300 billion in new programs and eliminated almost $200 billion in “efficiencies.”
The defense budget will see savings from future troop drawdowns, but we must continue to invest in the technologies that future conflicts will demand.
REAR ADM. JAMES J. CAREY, U.S. NAVY (retired)
National chairman
Flag and General Officers Network
Alexandria
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