After six and a half years and with great regret, I must announce the shuttering of "Armchair Generalist." I have accepted a government civilian job with the Department of Homeland Security and will be moving out of the DC metro area in the near future. Unfortunately, the drive to reduce the number of evil contractors in the Defense Department have resulted in the termination of my contract, and I do need a paycheck for just a few more years. My future employer has rules in place that do not allow government civilians to voice opinions that might be misconstrued as government policy or as unfiltered criticism of said policy. So this will be my last post for a while. I will keep this blog up for a little while longer, if just to use the blogroll, but it will not be active (barring any last-minute offers of employment by a major think tank or news organization... ha ha).
I do think that our discussions on improving US national strategy needs to continue. I am learning through bitter experience that a change in political parties in the White House does not necessarily mean an improvement in national security strategy or its employment. The process by which our government develops and implements national security is desperately flawed, and as long as the National Security Staff operates as a short-term crisis group, without any long-term vision, it won't get better. I do understand better the need to discuss national security in terms of realism versus idealism, rather than Dems versus Repubs (thanks to Prof Walt). It's given me an interesting point of reference to examine the execution of military strategy across the globe.
On the WMD side, I also hope that discussions continue on how we can better develop and implement strategies that more effectively address US and international interests. Our discussions are dominated by nuclear weapons advocates and arms control analysts, without much thoughtful discourse by anyone else, and that includes the State Department, DOD, and USSTRATCOM all the way down to the Service staff offices. It's discouraging, but the lack of leadership and vision in this area has severely limited any real progress in the past decade. There is little to no intelligent dialogue on important counterproliferation issues, it's all about "global strike", missile defense, and nonproliferation, and that's a shame.
Our DOD Chem-Bio Defense Program is sorely out of balance and is wallowing in high seas. As a colleague remarked to me, "It's still NBC to the senior leadership - No Body Cares." There's a staggering inability to articulate basic passive defense policy issues and acquisition strategy in the DOD, and confusing the issue with homeland security, toxic industrial chemicals, and emerging infectious diseases has not helped. Our DOD chemical demilitarization program has been a fascinating case of public policy. The Army's main office, using incineration to dispose of 90% of the stockpile, continues to move rapidly toward completing its charter, spending maybe $25-30 billion total. Meanwhile, the ACWA project office, using neutralization to address the remaining 10% of the stockpile, has not started any operations and will breach the Nunn-McCurdy Act again, driving potential costs for the neutralization effort over $10 billion. But nobody cares.
Of course, the only thing I have to cheer me up is that there is so much opportunity for improvements in how the Department of Homeland Security addresses the threat of domestic CBRN incidents. That is to say, it shouldn't mirror DOD's approach just because DOD has a certain set of equipment and history of responding to battlefield WMD threats. And maybe someday, the Department of Justice and FBI will come to realize that their Title 18 definition of WMD really doesn't make any sense at all. One can dream.
I have very much enjoyed the opportunities to discuss national security issues and other topics with the members of the blogosphere community who have stopped by. I hope to continue visiting your excellent blogs in the future and to discuss these issues further. You be careful out there.
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
Congratulations on the new gig but (from a selfish perspective) this is very bad news indeed. You've been at the top of my 'to read' list for quite some time and your absence will leave a sizable hole in the interwebs.
All the best, sir!
Posted by: TwShiloh | 30 April 2011 at 08:35 AM
Sorry to see you go. Enjoyed your work and the great command of being able to "demystify" some of the terminology and mindset to us civilian users. Live long and prosper.
Posted by: T | 30 April 2011 at 08:52 AM
Good luck with the new job, and I hope to see your writing again at some point-
Posted by: Mike | 30 April 2011 at 09:57 AM
Good luck Jason and congrats on the new gig!
Posted by: Andy | 30 April 2011 at 10:42 AM
It's been an insightful piggyback ride. Will dearly miss reading your posts. Congrats on the job!
M1@SMC
Posted by: MB2MB | 30 April 2011 at 10:54 AM
Good luck in the new job, J., and keep in touch!
Good to get out beyond the Beltway!
Posted by: Cheryl Rofer | 30 April 2011 at 11:03 AM
Hello - it is a rainy day here and now it is made worse by this news - your blog was top on the list to read BEFORE WaPo, NYT, etc - no other blogger out there could do what you do in making sense of what is happening out there - I do hope that you come back - as a former DHS employee I can tell you that you will (hopefully) be back sooner rather then later.
Thank you for everything...you will be missed
jibs
PS - can you recommend a blog to replace yours while you are on hiatus?
Posted by: BH | 30 April 2011 at 11:07 AM
Sorry to see the end of your public forum here. I've enjoyed and profited tremendously from the discussions here.
Good luck with DHS.
Posted by: FDChief | 30 April 2011 at 11:58 AM
Have always appreciated your blog, sorry to see you go.
Posted by: daskro | 30 April 2011 at 01:37 PM
cheers for all the interesting posts, and best wishes for the future!
Posted by: elizzar | 30 April 2011 at 01:42 PM
Longtime reader (lurker), always thought your blog was fantastic. Good luck at DHS.
Posted by: James Curbo | 30 April 2011 at 02:01 PM
You'll leave a hole not filled. But onward, it can't help but have you at DHS. To bring in a well-used observation: Life's what happens when you're busy making other plans.
Posted by: George Smith | 30 April 2011 at 03:07 PM
Good journey, Jason...I learned a great deal through your Armchair Generalist and from all the regular Gang who subscribed so much. Good fortune and best of health to them, too. Ace.
Remember the principle of Catch 22, you guys and gals. Salute! and Cheerio...
Posted by: Ray | 30 April 2011 at 03:14 PM
Da svedanya. Good luck in the new job. I'll miss your blog.
Posted by: Comrade Misfit | 30 April 2011 at 09:36 PM
I was fairly late in finding your blog,
but since then I have followed it with great interest, especially because of the important niche it fills, and I too will be sorry to see it go.
Best of luck in the new job.
Posted by: Nader | 01 May 2011 at 09:51 AM
As always, you are welcomed over a Milpub...choose a stein, a nom de plume, and have at it.
We don't care what the name is...just make sure your on top of your game...we'll keep that stein full, nuts are on the house.
;)
Posted by: Sheerahkahn | 01 May 2011 at 11:53 AM
How ironic; my first time, your last time. Good luck with the new job. Please keep the archives going! Aloooooha!
Posted by: Shannon | 01 May 2011 at 02:37 PM
BAH.
Posted by: Adrian | 01 May 2011 at 02:58 PM
Jason,
I consider you a friend, so am quite melancholy reading this most recent (but hopefully not final) post.
You have always been the patriot and never the "yes man", and although we have not always agreed I have admired your journalistic integrity. Your cutting edge thoughts will be missed by many of us.
Keep in touch via email - you have mine. Fair Winds and Following Seas.
LCDR Tammy Swofford, USNR, NC
Posted by: tammy swofford | 01 May 2011 at 04:26 PM
Dude,
They've GOT to give you a blogging exemption for the death of UBL...
Posted by: TwShiloh | 01 May 2011 at 11:23 PM
J., have been checking in, just busy. Sorry to see this stopping for now. As I write this Osama Bin Laden has been killed. Nice timing soldier, fair winds and following seas, and keep your powder dry. Do try to get DHS out of the org chart phase.
Posted by: NVH | 01 May 2011 at 11:23 PM
The best of luck in your new gig, I will miss this site as you have provided quality coverage on important issues.
Posted by: Trevor | 02 May 2011 at 12:03 AM
Jason,
It's been a long while since I commented, but I want you to know I remained a faithful reader for all these years. You will be missed. As others have said, good luck with the new job at DHS...I fear you will need it...that can't be much of an improvement over DOD (uh oh, I probably just got myself red-flagged again...)
Posted by: Part of the Plan | 02 May 2011 at 06:22 AM
Quite a date in current affairs for that departure! Best of luck in your new job, a significant loss to the blogging community nevertheless.
Hope for a revival at some point in time...
Posted by: para | 02 May 2011 at 07:22 AM
Great job with this blog over the past few years. Congrats and good luck.
Posted by: boz | 02 May 2011 at 08:21 AM