Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s address to the National Defense University today, hyped by the administration as a “strong message that the time has come for [the Department of Defense] to consider fundamental change in how it is organized and how it operates to better reflect 21st century strategic and fiscal realities” turned out to be a bit of a wet noodle.  Any time a “reform” agenda begins with Eisenhower references – the “Solarium” review or the “New Look” program – it’s an indicator to the pabulum to follow. (No one ever seems to mention Ike’s strategy of “Massive Response” – that is, to nuke anyone who looked at us cross-eyed – which was the product of the review and the strategy that led to the New Look.)

But just beneath the ritual do-more-with-less incantation was the confession that, in fact, the Obama Doctrine is really to do less with less.  The “fundamental change” in store is the retreat of the American military from its forward stations, particularly in the Middle East.  This is what Hagel was chosen to do, and he again reiterated his “keen appreciation” of the limits of military power and the need to use it “judiciously,” which is to say use it less.  And he contrasted his planned approach to the Pentagon with that of the Reagan administration.  For Ronald Reagan, he lamented, “cost and efficiency were not major considerations.”  True.  Reagan was more concerned to win the Cold War.  He valued effectiveness over efficiency.