Coming Tomorrow: A Blueprint for Rebuilding the Military

So let’s just say for the sake of argument that you’ve got a military severely overtaxed by multiple combat deployments and practically certain to experience at least some degree of imposed budgetary constraint as the result of economic upheaval. Add to that the pressures of leaving one occupied country over the next three years and refocusing on an arguably harder war. And on top of all that, let’s say your hypothetical military also has to prepare for uncertain contingencies — Putin rearing his head, for instance. Who can help you?

It turns out the progressive policy group Center for American Progress can. CAP’s defense-policy team has prepared a blueprint for rebuilding the U.S. military that it’ll release tomorrow. Right now the thing is embargoed, so I can’t tell you what it says at the moment, but I have a feeling that counterinsurgents and other defense reformers will embrace the document with open arms. And given that CAP’s leader is John Podesta, the guy heading Barack Obama’s transition, chances are it’ll show up on Bob Gates’ desk.