Too Big for its Own Good

Like a bridge that collapses under its own weight, the United States Army is becoming too big; too heavy; to encumbered with its structure—regulations, rules, forms, and all the other trappings of a behemoth bureaucracy.

The Armed Forces of the United States of America is powerful enough to crush anything foolish enough to stand in its way, to be sure. But that reality is probably more a function of economic might than anything else.

The U.S. spends billions each year on the Army. Nobody can compete with that, and certainly nobody can argue that it does not do many things very well.

It scares people. It can occupy territories. It’s soldiers can provide security for nations to rebuild.

But as it gets more powerful, it relies on too much of that power to accomplish its mission. Far from a nimble fighting force, the U.S. Army has become a monster that may soon not be able to function in its own morass of density.