George Washington’s Farewell Address when he left office in 1779 is one of the most well-known speeches in American history.
In his address, he cautioned Americans: “The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is…to have with them as little political connection as possible.”
For more than 100 years, America isolated itself from the world, staying out of military conflicts and alliances in Europe.
That ended on April 6, 1917, when the United States officially entered World War I.
Since then, for the last century, America has been constantly preparing for, involved in or recovering from a war.
However, it wasn’t until the United States became involved in the Vietnam War that Americans first began asking “What is the job of our military?”
This question is still pertinent today, as the United States is just now winding down an unpopular war in Iraq and still fighting an equally unpopular war in Afghanistan.
Most people think that the job of the U.S. military is to defend just the United States from threats and stay out of the business of other countries.
This was the United States’ foreign policy for years up until the First and Second World Wars.
However, the world has become a much smaller place since then, and isolationism is not a viable policy any more.
The United States is one of the most prominent countries in the world, and there are times when diplomacy fails, and military action must be taken, even if it is not purely in our interests.
That said, the United States should not just attack countries at will.
There are 73 countries with U.S. Army bases, not counting the United States, which houses 70.
In addition to having a military presence in most of the world, the U.S. spends an atrocious amount of money on its Armed Forces.
At $668.8 billion per year, the United States leads the world in military spending.
In fact, it actually accounts for 40 percent of the world’s total military spending.
This creates a kind of vicious cycle, in which the United States’ allies count on America to defend them, and do not spend enough on military, so America has to pick up the slack by overcompensating.
If there are other options available, then those options should be pursued, but not after it is obvious that they have failed.
Sadly, the U.S. has been on the two opposite sides of the spectrum lately: going into countries where it has no business and remaining indecisive when quick action must be taken.
Much of this back and forth centers around political differences.
National security is no place to play politics. We must act as a country, and not as two parties maneuvering for political positions.
In conclusion, although the United States cannot stay completely neutral in world affairs, it cannot protect every country from every threat they face.