Eight Ways In Which The US Army Is Strategically Unique

When President Obama addressed the graduating class at West Point on May 28, he was speaking to the future leadership of a military service that is having a hard time defining its place in national strategy.  There was no need to dwell on that question for a dozen years after the 9-11 attacks — over two-thirds of the casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan were soldiers — but now those wars are nearly ended, the White House is shifting its strategic focus to the Pacific, and the President says non-military options are the preferred way of dealing with security challenges.  Ground forces will still have a role to play in this emerging landscape, but the political culture looks more favorably disposed to the light footprint and fleeting presence of the Marine Corps.