Wot’s this? A (decades) long-awaited peace dividend? Bring it on.

ryking:

Obama announces new, leaner military approach

The U.S. military will steadily shrink the Army and Marine Corps, reduce forces in Europe and probably make further cuts to the nation’s nuclear arsenal, the Obama administration said Thursday in a preview of how it intends to reshape the armed forces after a decade of war.

The downsizing of the Pentagon, prompted by the country’s dire fiscal problems, means that the military will depend more on coalitions with allies and avoid the large-scale counterinsurgency and nation-building operations that have marked the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Instead, the Pentagon will invest more heavily in Special Operations forces, which have a smaller footprint and require less money than conventional units, as well as drone aircraft and cybersecurity, defense officials said. The military will also shift its focus to Asia to counter China’s rising influence and North Korea’s unpredictability. Despite the end of the Iraq war, administration officials said they would keep a large presence in the Middle East, where tensions with Iran are worsening.

With December’s historic raising of environmental standards, yesterday’s military restructuring move, and today’s immigration reform, our Democratic president is finally moving to the left — and royally pissing-off the GOP to boot. Ah, what a difference a tough reelection fight makes; the Democratic Party’s base is important to the president again!