I don’t think I’m going strongly against the Whitman grain when I say that I view the actions of the United States military and the enormity of our defense spending with skepticism. While I appreciate the importance of a well-maintained army for a country like the United States, I take issue with the way it is used to advance foreign policy objectives.
That being said, I find the military to be an exceptionally important avenue for enacting social change in this country. It is an especially useful ground for progressive change because the values of the military establishment often encapsulate the values of conservative America. Using the military for progressive ends can capitalize on the immense moral and economic power the military has in this country, and counteract that typically conservative influence.
Historically, the most pertinent example of social change in the military is the 1948 mandatory desegregation of all armed forces. Executive Order 9981, signed into effect by President Harry Truman, barred segregation outright and led to complete military desegregation by 1954. The order allowed Truman to bypass Congress and mandate progressive policy for the military.
The public nature of the military made the issue unavoidable for ordinary Americans, and the nature of executive order allowed Truman to implement sweeping change on a large scale. Furthermore, desegregating the military was morally compelling in a time when the United States had just finished fighting a war against a nation rooted in intolerance. Lastly, opening up the field of battle to blacks allowed people to see that they were truly equal as they defended their country alongside whites. Several all-black regiments in the marines and air force were very effective, notably the Tuskegee Airmen and the 761st tank division.
While desegregating the military was not the only factor which led to civil rights legislation, it was an important step. Broadly, progressive politicians used the military to take sweeping public action on a currently contentious issue and use the considerable power and moral influence of the military to enact change. It has also used its considerable economic influence to enact change, such as the 1963 directive from then defense secretary McNamara promoting military-wide boycott of racist businesses.
This takes us to the issue of environmental efficiency, which the military has used its economic power to promote extensively. Many important advances in green technology, especially sustainable energy, have come from the defense budget as military spending.
Fossil fuels are the number one item the U.S. imports to Afghanistan bases, and it can cost up to 400 dollars a gallon to get it to the most remote bases. Take into account that one civilian or soldier is killed for every 24 fuel convoys, and it is not surprising that the military should be interested in alternative energy. Many of these developing technologies, specifically sustainable biofuels and solar power can be easily converted to civilian use.
Solar power has become exceptionally important to military officials, especially for powering more remote bases. Many of these bases have become almost entirely self-sufficient using solar power, and additional DARPA funding has gone to further increase the efficiency of solar power. This technology is already available, but intense interest from the military provides a demand for products and for innovation that will decrease prices for civilian consumers and promote necessary infrastructure for future production of sustainable energy sources.
The military has likewise promoted the use of sustainable biofuels in its vehicles. The air force is scheduled to have all of its equipment: ground vehicles, boats and planes: compatible with 50-50 biofuel blends by the end of 2011. The navy is intensively studying the usefulness of algae-based fuels for its ships. What I find impressive about the way the military has approached the application of biofuels is the way is has steered clear of corn-based ethanol and looked instead at more sustainable sources. Researchers in Afghanistan, for example, have found ways to convert now-illegal poppy seeds to biofuels, not only promoting sustainable energy, but allowing Afghan farmers to make an honest living.
While the military did not originate the push for renewable energy, it plays an important part of the push for increasingly efficient technology. While its reasons for developing these technologies are markedly different from typical environmental activists, the ends are no less important. When harnessed sufficiently, the military provides a fantastic avenue for various progressive movements. We may not support all of the military’s actions abroad, but let’s not let that hide the positive change such a vastly powerful institution is capable of promoting.
