Military transformation: concepts, strategies, and implementation

Military Efforts to Transform

The first paragraph introduces the condition of the U.S. military following September 11, 2011 and how overextended the military has been since. Then the two policies will be introduced and in the presentation itself, the differences between the two will be apparent

The second paragraph will deal in details about how the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 will affect the military organization. There will be a positive conclusion thereto because of the resilience of the American military.

The third and fourth paragraphs will deal with the policy on pulling out of Iraq and Afghanistan and the subsequent problems this may bring on the American soldiers especially those that may be released from the service

Abstract

The paper deals with two recent policy changes of the U.S. government affecting the U.S. military. The first one is the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 that is in full implementation following the cortication of President Obama, Defense Secretary Panetta and Adm. Mullen. The second is the pull-out from Iraq and Afghanistan that will see several thousand soldiers possibly losing their jobs and being one of the hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans. No matter how these policies are implemented, the soldiers on the ground are the ones who will be affected by all these.

Military Transformation

For the last few years following the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the American homeland, the United States military has been overstretched with two major wars involved in (Iraq and Afghanistan) and several other missions ranging from low-intensity conflicts, humanitarian efforts to continuous training and exercises on its own or with allies and partners across the globe. As the only remaining superpower and acknowledged "police" or the world, the United States uses its military to project its might and ensure that intransigent nations or entities are made to abide by international laws. Despite the high operational tempo though of the U.S. military, it is still an organization that undergoes constant transformation in not only to meet the various missions thereof but in keeping with the changing times. The changes that the American defense forces are contained in policy changes that originate with the National Command Authority and executed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff down the chain of command. Of late, two policies will pave the way for major paradigm shifts in the very fabric of the U.S. military. These policy changes are the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy banning acknowledgement of gays in the service and the gradual pull-out of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.