In her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris made a bold statement about ensuring that America always has the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world. While this statement received applause from many, it also raised eyebrows and was seen as hawkish by some observers and pundits. However, Harris is simply continuing a trend of boasting about the U.S. military that has been seen in previous administrations.
For the past two decades, successive presidents have competed to offer hyperbolic assessments of the U.S. military. From George W. Bush to Joe Biden, each president has claimed that the U.S. military is the greatest, finest, or strongest fighting force the world has ever known. These grandiose claims are meant to overshadow a record that includes a bloody stalemate in Korea, a devastating loss in Vietnam, and a series of failures and stalemates in conflicts around the world.
The term “lethality” has become a favorite buzzword in the Pentagon. When the Pentagon talks about lethality, it often uses bloodless and incomprehensible language that is divorced from the reality of the human cost of war. Lethality is seen as the ultimate goal, and everyone in the military wants to be a part of it. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin outlined five key traits of America’s “future force” in his National Defense Strategy, with lethality being the first among them. In Pentagon-speak, lethality means possessing capabilities that can penetrate defense at range.
The obsession with lethality can also justify endless military spending. Senator Bernie Sanders has criticized the excessive military spending in the United States, pointing out that the country spends more than the next 10 nations combined on defense. Sanders believes that the United States can have the strongest defense in the world without spending a trillion dollars a year.
If history is any guide, a Harris presidency would likely continue the pursuit of lethality. This could result in civilian casualties in conflicts around the world, as has been seen in Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and other far-off lands. The efficacy of the U.S. military as the most lethal fighting force in the world would be tested in these situations.
The Intercept reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on Sanders’s critique and what lethality means to the Democratic nominee. However, no response was received prior to publication.
In conclusion, Vice President Kamala Harris’s statement about ensuring America always has the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world is in line with the trend of boasting about the U.S. military that has been seen in previous administrations. The term “lethality” has become a buzzword in the Pentagon, but it often overlooks the human cost of war. While some may applaud Harris’s statement, others are concerned about the implications and consequences of pursuing such a goal. Only time will tell how this rhetoric translates into action in a Harris presidency.