We’ve been away for a handful of weeks, but don’t worry…
Melvin Laird died
this week after quite a long life in service. Have you heard of Melvin
Laird? If not, here
is a nice little piece to introduce you to the subtly influential Secretary
of Defense in the 1970s. If you were to ask yourself, who was an influential
leader in the defense institution, you might think of someone like Donald
Rumsfeld, Robert McNamara, or George Marshall. I think there is a reasonable
case to be made that the obscure Melvin Laird has had more of a lasting impact
on today’s defense architecture than any of the others mentioned.
Part of the question of today’s national defense rests on
answering the question, what is the proper role of the U.S. security apparatus
in international system? Laird attempted to shape that question by offering a
restructuring framework to reset defense by leaning on partner capacities while
shoring up the fundamental basis of military power. Coming out of the throes of Vietnam, and an
economy under a lot pressure from the consequence of national security
strategies, Laird was forced to juggle fiscal retraction with a looming
existential threat: USSR. What is fascinating to me is the notion of context.
We are familiar with today’s context because we are experiencing it first-hand.
I think there is real utility going back to previous periods and thinking…for a
moment…what was that context?
