Chuck Hagel Says We Haven’t Had Enough War Yet

The headlines today are that
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel wrote a “memo
to the White House criticizing Syria strategy.” The nature of
that criticism is a bit on the vague side, though, given that it’s
a confidential document and all that seems to have leaked is an
unattributed comment to the effect that he thinks “we need to have
a sharper view of what to do about the Assad regime.”

Whoah. Scathing.

But if the memo reflects what Hagel said the other day at the
Washington Ideas Forum, his real criticism may be that U.S. foreign
policy hasn’t, of late, had enough war in it.

At The Atlantic,
David Graham notes the Defense Secretary’s remarks that “What
we’re seeing in the Middle East with ISIL is going to require a
steady, long-term effort. It’s going to require coalitions of
common interest.”

Beyond the world’s sandbox, he sees lots of fun stuff to keep
U.S. diplomats and Marines engaged. “Tyranny, terrorism, the
challenges and threats to our country … is going to be with us.
It’s a reality. I see these things continuing to stay out of
there.”

Strictly speaking, Hagel’s comments don’t seem like Teddy
Roosevelt-style saber rattling—there’s no specific country he wants
to overwhelm with American firepower in some perceived opportunity
for glory and medal ceremonies. Instead, it sounds like the foreign
policy equivalent of death by a thousand cuts. Without a specific
opponent or goal, there’s no endgame—there’s just a series of
brushfires alternating with crises intermingled with
confrontations.

Fairly, I think, Graham sums up Hagel’s comments as “Get used to
endless war.”

So, if Hagel is criticizing the Obama administration’s Syria
strategy, it’s probably a matter of emphasis rather than substance.
Because he sees an unending future of more of the same.