http://www.fpif.org/progresp/volume5/v5n13_body.html#andrew "Beginning in 1995, his office began sponsoring an RMA Operational Concept Wargaming Program, which has explored space-based warfare and "multi-theater global war." ... ------------------------------------- The Progressive Response Volume 5, Number 13 April 25, 2001 ANDREW MARSHALL: FUTURISTIC MILITARISM By FPIF Editors (Editor's Note: See the complete profile at http://www.fpif.org/republicanrule/profiles.html#marshall.) ... Andrew W. Marshall is currently wielding a great deal of power. That's because George W. has designated Marshall--a favorite of Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld--to make a quick, but politically important, strategic review of likely threats to the U.S., the nature of future wars and how we can fight two simultaneously, and the forces we need to do so. And to have it ready within a month or two. Marshall has been a main proponent of the "Revolution in Military Affairs" (RMA), a term he borrowed from a Soviet General Staff member and adapted to describe the need to concentrate on information warfare and precision-guided munitions. "Rather than closing with an opponent," he said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in May, 2000, "the major mode will be destroying him at a distance." ... His enthusiasm for high-tech warfare has led him to raise the possibility of canceling some existing programs--most often mentioned is the F-22 fighter plane, at $182 million a copy. The "next-generation" systems he would put in their place would, of course, be all but certain to cost even more. Beginning in 1995, his office began sponsoring an RMA Operational Concept Wargaming Program, which has explored space-based warfare and "multi-theater global war." He is also a strong proponent of an expansive version of National Missile Defense. Such plans have the effect of provoking others to react; China cites these plans in its recent announcement to increase its military spending by 17 percent, and to accelerate its missile program. The question is to what extent Marshall's visions of futuristic wars and weapons to fight them will be allowed to dominate U.S. military policy, as well as becoming the self-fulfilling prophecies for the conflicts they envision.
