General Sheehan and Brigadier General Holcomb’s article in The Hill (link below) is a powerful indictment of the military’s ‘divest to invest’ business model. The article focuses on the fashionable, but increasingly dangerous, trend among the armed services of divesting current capabilities in order to fund future, unproven capabilities.
The article makes clear the ‘divest to invest’ business model is not a solution, but instead is a significant and unnecessary risk to national security. The ‘divest to invest’ business model undermines deterrence, and limits an effective response to today’s threats. The authors, “ . . . urge Congress to direct an immediate cessation of ‘divest to invest’, a careful re-orientation on immediate/near term threats, and the building of a credible counteroffensive capability.”
The Hill (thehill.com) 10/25/2022
Opinion - National Security
Risking the War We Don’t Want
by John Sheehan and Keith Holcomb, Opinion Contributors
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
. . . . The timing for “divest to invest” could hardly be worse. It signals to our adversaries that we do not have the will to maintain a credible force while investing in future capabilities. Most seriously, the ongoing degradations in numbers and types of units and weapons systems greatly limit the capability of the U.S. to lead a counteroffensive. Realists accept that our adversaries have noticed these shortfalls. In short, we are deceiving only ourselves if we continue to imagine that all the rhetoric, narratives and technology demonstrations about new and soon-to-be-fielded, high-tech, defensive capabilities constitute effective deterrence. . . . .
John J. Sheehan is a retired U.S. Marine Corps general who served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic and Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command.
Keith T. Holcomb is a retired U.S. Marine Corps brigadier general whose assignments included service in the U.S. Atlantic Command.
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/3699662-risking-the-war-we-dont-want/
As usual, BGen Holcomb (and Gen Sheehan) are dead on balls accurate in their assessment of this new restructuring that is solely focused on a possible, future Sino conflict. Will this new strategy make the Marine Corps a one trick pony?