Citizen's Army

We need to deinstitutionalize the professional army.

Instead of the massive force we normally maintain, ready for invasions the like sof which we currently see, let's mix a few ideas from the right together and create a practical assemblage.

1) Maintin professional forces, i.e. the Marines. Maintain small, professional squads with high skills ready for deployment in particular, specialized situations. This plan is actually a suggestion of neoconservative military policy, though I propose making it much more dramatic in its downgrading of forces.

2) Couple these professional forces with a major expansion of the National Guard, focused primarily of practical defense of America proper (not American interests abroad, not American allies, no more "cops of the world"). We will have significant citizen military training to maintain strong internal defense.

In the case of a major cause for actual war, such as attack on the United States' territory by an actual nation-state, these forces could be easily turned into a body of soldiers.

However, prior to such time, they are to be decentralized, with heavy authority of each state over their conduct, duties, and training.

To actually convert these forces, which are much closer to the militia of the American Revolution than anything currently in operation, will require the approval of each state for its Guard deployment. The federal government, Congress or the President, will not be able to call these troops to fight without state approval.

By state approval, I mean a state-wide plebescite, in which all state citizens can vote, including the Guard members.

This framework allows for major defense at all times coupled with highly trained professional forces for special military needs.

What it also does is demobilize the vast military apparatus of the United States and replace it with primarily defensive militia.

This is dramatic, but I think offers the most favorable position possible for the anti-war Left and major sections of the Right.