by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Our armies, air forces and navies should never ever be used outside the borders of the country they are tasked to DEFEND.
Most of the departments in the governments are no longer called “War Department” but “Defense Department” or “Ministry of Defence”, as it is in the UK, and defense is what they are for and not offense.
In Britain the navy was originally the only standing military service and its task was the defense of the borders and maritime areas though later used for colonial expeditions.
There never was a standing army until much later and all was a militia and men were required to be archers and pike men. But some would have just rallied to the defense of the country with pitchforks, axes, and whatever other tools.
The brief of the armed forces of our countries is that of deference, defense of our countries and that on the borders and not somewhere else. Entering someone else's country, under whatever pretenses, is an offensive action, an act of aggression and not defense.
Our military should return to its roots. We are not defending our country in Iraq or Afghanistan or wherever else. It is all about oil in those instances.
You want to make cuts in government spending, Prime Minister, then bring our troops home and do it now. They are not defending our security over there. That is a lie. It was a lie when Blair and Brown said so and it is one when the new Prime Minister David Cameron says so.
The powers-that-be tells us that the government debt needs to be reduced and because of this government services will have to be reduced and cut and some of the poorest will suffer, and considering the debt the UK, for instance, is under expenses need to be cut.
When it comes to cutting debt if the troops be brought home to do the job the really should do, defending our country, our borders, there would be lots of savings.
However, the military-industrial complex, the “defense” industry, is such a powerful lobby that this is hardly going to happen.
The original role of the military is the defense of the realm and nothing else. Since when, however, the realm includes Afghanistan and Pakistan and Iraq, beats me.
I guess somewhere along the line I missed it that Britain took on some new colonies together with the USA and the EU and NATO. Really must have missed something.
The German federal government even went as far as to change parts of Germany's post-war constitution, which made it illegal for German soldiers to ever serve outside the country in war or policing actions, in such a way as to make this possible. This action also make me, as a Gypsy, worry that Germany, once again, may have designs that it should never ever entertain again.
Defense of the realm, of the country, is one thing and is one that we all, I should think, can agree with, but the military of our so-called free and democratic countries has no right to be anywhere else having a nice little war.
Defense of the realm mean defense of the country at the country's borders and, in case of an aggressor, as in the case of the Nazis during World War Two, push a little further.
In general, however, the defense of the realm ends at the borders and that, folks, is it. Our forces have n o right whatsoever to be in those countries they are involved in conflicts in at present.
I rest my case...
© 2010
