What are the policy implications of Sec Gates West Point speech?

For the Army, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ speech this week to the cadets at West Point gave the institution a lot to think about. But it also should have given those who follow our national military policy some reason to think as well.

Sec. Gates made some rather meaty statements that really beg to be unpacked a bit, because there are some implications in his words that some may find disturbing. Gates warned the Army that it must “confront the reality that the most plausible, high-end scenarios for the U.S. military are primarily naval and air engagements – whether in Asia, the Persian Gulf, or elsewhere.”