Obama Promises Naval Grads: No Wars Without Goals

Speaking to graduates at the US Naval Academy today, President Barack Obama promised that he would not send them into wars without some sort of reason. Even then, he promised to go in with “the strategy, the well-defined goals, the equipment and the support that you need to get the job done.”

Obama pledged pay increases and other benefits for the soldiers, as well as more combat ships, submarines and fighter aircrafts that “they’ll need to do their jobs.” He also vowed that the United States would “maintain (its) military dominance.” President Obama seemed quite taken with the notion of a massive military after what he called “an era when so many institutions and individuals acted with such greed and recklessness.”

In what was the president’s first commencement address at a military academy, his promises were met with thunderous applause, but upon further examination, he ultimately offered very little except more of the same. All he really offered was more troops and more money.

And, perhaps inadvertantly, a glimpse into the future. While President Obama has touted his plan to leave Iraq eventually, his major military escalation has been in landlocked Afghanistan. This is hardly a naval hotspot, yet the president is promises new ships, new subs, etc. to “get the job done”. What that job ultimately is going to be remains to be seen, but after today’s pledges one could probably safely assume he’s already found a target that is “absolutely necessary” and has plenty of “well-defined goals” to throw the Navy at.