Defense


Robotic Jet Fighters (2002)	An airplane production line (circa 1940's)

We should not forget that we all live in an imperfect world, where many countries try to bully their wrong way of doing things. For these backward societies to correct their ways, international pressure -based only on words- may not suffice.

We need a strong military establishment. And so it does the rest of the Western world, friends and allies. Although -in statistical terms- the chance of having to declare a war to a superpower foe has been dramatically decreased during the last two decades, there are enough rebellious dictators around the world that our guard should not be lowered. Due to the fact that "dirty" nuclear-bombs and bio-threats can originate from these awkward nations, it should be the duty of the civilized world to get rid of the danger.

One way to do this would be to deter the culprits from doing the wrong thing, with a show of force. It is for that reason we need a strong Defense.
The other way would be deposing these oppressors, eliminating their base of power. We could do this by helping their countrymen to overthrow them. Or by annihilation of those bad fellows by whichever means we find appropriate. If you ask me, I would say that for the sake of humanity almost any means -for getting rid of these retrogrades- would be acceptable.

	However, rather than large armies, I would be more comfortable with small armies made up of professionals that use our latest and best war techniques, strategies, and weaponry.
	On the other hand, I believe that military service could be a great way for many of our young citizens to learn trades, as well as to have business-relevant experiences. The US Armed Forces should pretty much be as a huge Community College. The mother of them all. Therefore ...

If I am elected I would propose -or would support- large armies only if for the purpose of

general military education of the populace (what could also be seen as a deterrent to our enemies), and
job, training opportunity, and "expansion of the mind" for our young citizens.

	I am a Veteran of the Spanish Army, where I served thirty two years ago (Military Police). For the most part it was a waste of time. A few months ago, my son Kelvin finished his military service in the US-Army Corps of Engineers, and for the most part, it was also a waste of time as well. I was shocked!.
	Kelvin earned some education-money, which he can now use to pursue college studies (I got nothing for my days of service in the Spanish Army). But, in those two years that my son spent in the US-Army he should have had an opportunity to learn Telecommunications, Computers, Software, the Internet, Engineering,... It seems the only thing he learned was a couple of tricks in explosives, and how to drive a truck.
	As it happened to me years ago in the Spanish Army, my son Kelvin got basically no relevant training in the US Army that would be marketable in today's society. A waste of time, waste of resources, and of taxpayers money.
	I will focus my efforts to make sure our young soldiers come out of service with good, marketable skills. Either that, or small armies of high-tech professional soldiers.