When Will We Ever Learn?: What our National Security State Got Wrong in its Wars of Choice and How to Deconstruct the War State

By Ronald Enzweiler

I wrote this book to call public attention to what I see as the growing threat to our nation caused by out-of-control federal spending for what President Eisenhower in 1961 termed the military industrial complex. Congress does not have the will to address its misuse of our military and its related defense spending problem, much less solve these important issues. Overspending on our military and unnecessary wars are the main reasons our country is $22 trillion in debt with Congress adding $1-trillion/year to this figure . The first step in solving Congress' overspending on our nation's "War State" is to reveal to the public the permanent national security state in Washington that controls our country's foreign and military policy and enables the War State's military adventurism. My book provides an insider's view of the War State based on my personal experiences, from Vietnam and nuclear mutual-assured-destruction in the Cold War era to the counterinsurgency campaigns and nation building efforts in the current War on Terror. These pursuits nurtured the War State, which began after World War II, and turned it into the omnipotent force it has now become in Washington. Throughout my narrative, I indicate changes in foreign and military policy that can be made and major weapons systems that can be eliminated or scaled back to achieve a 50% reduction in the $1-trillion-plus/year cost of our War State. Making these cuts is the only feasible way to resolve Congress' structural budget deficit problem. I reveal the ruse the all-powerful national security state in Washington is fostering on us as taxpaying citizens by exaggerating the military capabilities of Russia and China; blocking the United Nations' worldwide nuclear disarmament initiative in 2017; and spending trillions on unneeded planes, ships and missiles, like the $1.5 trillion F-35 fighter program that serve as corporate welfare for defense contractors. Our military's role under the U.S. Constitution is to provide a common defense for the 50 states. Instead, our out-of-control War State has taken on the role of the World's Policeman. It's conducting combat operations in 80 countries under its War on Terror. Want proof the Washington ruling class' interventionist foreign policy is making Americans less safe? Congress has irresponsibly increased defense spending by $7.5 trillion since 9/11. Yet, national security officials claim America currently faces unprecedent security threats throughout the world. They use their exaggerated threat claims to justify the War State as an expanding $1-trillion-plus/year enterprise. This spending is 20 times more than Russia's defense spending and five times more than China's. These countries are not the "global military threats" on par with the U.S. military as the War States claims. In my book, I suggest questions to ask candidates for federal offices and legislative solutions that I hope politically involved citizens will pursue in our democratic process. We need to be proactive to change the status quo so our children and grandchildren will have a better future. My motivation in writing this book is to perform a nonpartisan public service to enlighten other citizens and call them to action to address these vital national issues.Note: The body of the body of my book is about 300 pages. I include in the appendices about 100 pages of my personal War Correspondent Reports from Iraq and Afghanistan written in 2007-08. I use the reports as source material for my commentary on these two wars. Appendix V in the e-book version has a hyperlink to a publicly accessible dropbox folder that contains photo montages I sent with some reports. The other appendices in the book are also available for downloading in PDF format at this hyperlink, including what specifically to cut to reduce defense spending by $400 to $500 billion/year and questions on foreign and military policy to ask candidates running for federal office

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1696059216
• ISBN13: 9781696059213
• Release Date: September 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 502 Pages
• Weight: 1.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"