Mullen: US Foreign Policy Too Dominated by Military

Calls on State Dept, Others to 'Step Up'

In a speech today at Kansas State University, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen described his revisions to the Powell Doctrine of American warfare, focusing on counterinsurgencies.

But likely the most provocative comment made by Mullen was to warn that “US foreign policy is still too dominated by the military, too dependent upon the generals and admirals who lead our major overseas commands and not enough on the State Department.”

Mullen’s solution to this had nothing to do with the military being less proactive about overseas adventurism, of course. Rather, he urged the State Department and others to “step up” and become more “expeditionary.”

The State Department defended its comparative lack of “expeditionary” projects by noting that its budget is a tiny fraction of the military’s. Again they didn’t view the problem as a military awash in cash and influence but rather that the State Department needed to do a better job convincing Congress to throw money at them as well.

Cementing his support for global interventionism, however, Mullen cautioned that the military should never be thought of as a “last resort” for the government, but should instead be part of the overall policy and diplomatic efforts.

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Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz

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Pseudolus

Sic transit gloria, Admiral Mullen,
Sic transit gloria.
epppie

oh Mullen is such a trip. He's another one who pretends to be trying to hold the crazies back, while egging them on. The state department should be more "expeditionary"?!! Gee, I wonder what wordsmith got kudos back in the bowels of the pentagon or of some thinktank for thinking up that brilliantly obscure way of saying that the State Department should help the military warmonger. And then there's the last point so aptly underlined here – Mullen is claiming that the Military should be involved in policy and diplomacy. Of course, that's makes a mockery out of both policy and diplomacy. Diplomacy at gunpoint? There was a time when the UN might have frowned on that, but no longer, I guess. Policy made with the big guns at the table saying 'oh, don't mind us!'? How laughable it all is. Ah, the glory that was and always will be Rome. One must have a sense of humor to peer through the brilliance of it all.

Mullen does look like Rick Moranis, doesn't he?
omop

Winston Churchill is quoted as having said. " the further backward you can loo, the further forward you can see."

Translated in present military terms means come 2078 the US military will still be in Iraq and most of the other close to 200 miltary basis in the world. In afghanistan it will either be around the same time too if the Taliban does not win aas they did against the British in 1850 or so and the Russians in 1980 or so.
- Peaceful_Idiot
  
  200 military bases would be an improvement over the 700+ that we have now…
Henry_Clemens

Admiral Mullet (I think I spelled his name right); "US foreign policy is still too dominated by the military." You got that right Admiral, about 750 billion dollars per year's worth, sir, and that doesn't include the costs for 16 intelligence services and "homeland security." Include those costs and we're talking about expenditures of a trillion dollars per year! These enormously wasteful and obscene expenditures are bankrupting the entire nation. The American people need not worry about some foreign enemy destroying America, sir. You and the rest of the America's political-military-corporate ruling establishment will accomplish that goal long before any so-called foreign enemy ever could.
Guests

1- Here, what is strange is that: Admiral Mullen just have brought to light that US has a second government, which is its militarism regime. In the other hand what is not strange is that many of the senators and politicians have a stockpiles of shares and receiving millions upon millions from the core of the problem which is the war machinery and manufacturing of war equipments.., which in terms is the core of the US foreign policies where Israel is dominating the question.., in another word.., ZIONISM which in reality means world domination is a shared idea between US, EU and Israel and such imperialistic agenda has been the dominating issue on the Pentagons round table meeting for years, to prove this fact one needs to look no further then last 20 years of US and EU warmongering attitudes toward independent and self reliant countries both in Europe.., in Middle East and Africa.
Guests

2- I just give you an example: War in Congo was started by then UN general secretary Dog
Hamarsjöld .., which was Swedes, in economical terns many countries from Belgium to US hade and still have interests in Congolese natural resources, since 1960s and start of the war over 6 million people have been killed by the weapons provided by the US..,EU and some countries in Middles East to bandits groups or a rival political groups whom idea is close to countries helping these group, is a turmoil situation knowingly created and helped by the banking, mining and Oil companies to keep the Congolese people occupied while these companies stealing the peoples wealth. Don’t get me wrong Islam or communism has the same idea when it comes to imperialism.
Swiss Cheese

Mullen is right,we would be better off talking our enemies to death.Not as impossible as it sounds,the Government has been talking the American people to death since the recession began.They don't talk the Wall street bankers to death,though.