“China is not a major threat to the United States,” said U.S. Army Col. Douglas MacGregor (Ret.) in a message at CPAC in Washington this morning. Arguing the military budget is misallocated and spending is out-of control, the retired military official says “it is not in the best interest of the United States to impose our culture on others,” bringing forth a plan to reduce spending and increase prosperity. “If you don’t look at the structure – how we’re organized…you change nothing.”
While discussing the overseas spending and structure of the military, MacGregor said the current strategy of the military is unsustainable and the start of “military action in Iraq and Afghanistan is embarrassing” to the command and government of this country. “The Taliban is ultimately going to triumph…we didn’t practice economy of enemies.”
Running contrary to the conservative platform on Iran, Col. MacGregor said that, in truth, “Iran doesn’t pose a threat to the United States, nor to Israel.” He addressed the pressing security issues of the day – Russia, China, Mexico, etc. – and downplayed the hype of several highly controversial foreign affairs.
The situation in Russia is not pressing, says MacGregor, who cites the social and political situation as being “riddled with corruption” and believes that military’s size is down and the people are distracted by the unrest in the Muslim population, thus posing no immediate threat to the U.S. In addition to the social unhappiness in Russia, employment is also a problem, as more Chinese are working jobs in Siberia than Russians.
When it comes to China, they are also less of a threat than the media and, in some cases, conservative candidates, make them out to be, says MacGregor. “Historically, the people of China have never been an aggressive people,” he said, adding that “the Chinese are not unified” and noting that over 50,000 protests took place against the government last year, a statistic that tarnishes the image of strict control that the socialist regime holds. “Most of the Chinese security budget is spent on internal security, not foreign expansion,” and noted that it most likely isn’t in China’s best interest, economically or otherwise, to have conflict with the West.
Undoubtedly, he says, the most significant threat to our nation is the border with Mexico. Mexico’s connection with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez is particularly concerning, says McGregor, noting that the Anti-American ideas held dear to Hugo Chavez are an enormous threat to our national security.
One thing is certain: something must be done to allow the military officials who understand the situations to have input in the policy decisions that affect so many.
