Thought the eventual conclusion of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will mean a break from protracted U.S. military conflicts? The Pentagon’s number two official wants to disabuse you of that misconception.
It’s an article of faith inside the Pentagon, the military and on Capitol Hill that the country is sick of ground wars that span decades, even as the Afghanistan war shows signs of lasting until 2017. The outgoing defense secretary, Robert Gates, recently told West Point cadets that the next likely conflicts will befought on our under the seas, in the skies, and in space. But don’t think that means short conflicts. Gates’ deputy, William Lynn, thinks the “increasing duration of warfare” is a feature, not a bug.
There’s no going back to the era of the first Iraq war, with its “decisive victory,” its coordinated phases between air and land campaigns, and its “clear transitions between conflict and post-conflict,” Lynn told the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ second Global Security Forum on Wednesday morning.
Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/06/all-your-future-wars-will-be-long-ones/
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