Friends Close, Enemies Closer

By Fe Bongolan

While the world watches reruns of the royal wedding for this century, America’s military and international intelligence policies are taking a swerve toward a different direction. The announcement by President Obama of the appointment of CIA Director Leon Panetta to the post of Secretary of Defense, and the promotion of Commander of the US Afghanistan forces General David Petraeus to head up the Central Intelligence Agency, also known as the CIA, is the signal of that change.

The White House is faced with two wars, a thing in Libya that looks and sounds a lot like a war, a continuing budget shortfall, a bloated military budget and a Congress and nation divided. With that in mind, the selection of Leon Panetta — a liberal — as Secretary of Defense is a good thing. The placement of Panetta signals the Administration’s intent to implement reorganization of the Department of Defense, with the goal of ultimately reducing its budget by $400 billion over the next ten years.

Panetta, a former Congressman from Northern California presided over a peacetime boon from the end of the Cold War, transitioning military bases towards civilian use while Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton. The Presidio in San Francisco and Cal State Monterey are two models from Panetta’s home state where military bases were re-purposed for peacetime civilian use for public benefit.

In the short-term, if all goes well, Panetta’s appointment also means the draw-down of American troops and the Afghan and Iraq war theaters can hopefully close shop. This also means a less intensive American military presence globally which in reality, we’re too stretched financially to continue. Panetta is a friend in a high place, and I’m glad the White House chose him for this position. Known in numerous circles in Congress — foreign relations, military and now intelligence, in DC, Panetta is often regarded as a rock star.

As for David Petraus as head of the CIA, we have a different signal. Wikipedia’s editors inform us: “Following his second tour in Iraq, Petraeus authored a widely read article in Military Review, listing fourteen observations he had made during two tours in Iraq, including: do not do too much with your own hands, money is ammunition, increasing the number of stakeholders is critical to success, success in a counterinsurgency requires more than just military operations, ultimate success depends on local leaders, there is no substitute for flexible and adaptable leaders, and, finally, a leader’s most important task is to set the right tone.”

The concern is obvious over Petraeus taking on the role of our nation’s Chief Spook. In this age of WikiLeaks, can someone with a lifelong career of guns, war and money be trusted with the agency whose technological capacity is sophisticated enough to watch our every move?

These appointments appears to be a long-term strategy for the Administration to reach its goal of trimming the country back from the expensive wars of the 20th century. The shrinking federal budget plays a big part in this. What role the CIA will play in 21st century America’s national security is anybody’s guess, and may be even more of a concern. Is the future of America’s defense a high-tech, hyper-intelligence network over the world?

If the White House is listening to Senate Foreign Relations members Richard Lugar and John Kerry, who believe the wars in this century are going to be asymmetrical (highly advanced military  against smaller random groups with deadly attack weaponry), both appointments transition American defense to handle that type of threat. This means detective work, policing and intelligence gathering used instead of guns, bombs, gas and no apologies. It means less American ground attack forces at risk and a melding of the military with the nation’s intelligence agencies. Right or wrong, what we’re doing in Libya is the model for what we will probably be doing in the future, which could be far less expensive in the long run. Maybe we are finally learning the lesson: investigate and act on what’s actually happening on the ground before shooting starts. On the face, this sounds right. But given our history, there is a caveat: we cannot be sure whether what’s happening on the ground is authentic or staged for our benefit or detriment.

Regardless of our current politics and perceptions, colored by the past and exasperated with the present, these appointments are not a punishment for either men. They are both known quantities in Washington. Looking at the membership of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee, the proving grounds where Petraeus and Panetta will testify as to their capacity to do their jobs, the approval should look as much like a love-fest as Washington DC can produce.

On multiple levels, this is, as Machiavelli and Mario Puzo say, a case of “friends close and enemies closer.” The White House is placing people we trust (Panetta) and people we fear (Petraeus) in positions of power and enormous responsibility for our safety. Washington cheers these appointments, yet we know what Washington is capable of, regardless who is president.

Like any marriage, we should be keeping an eye out on who’s taking care of us, and they in turn, should work to earn our trust. The meaning of these appointments to me is a bit like a wedding veil, translucent enough to see through, yet the depth and nuance of what’s truly behind it and what the outcomes might be is hard to see. The appointments do, however fit well into the progressed Sibley chart of the US, with natal Mars in a long term retrograde — definitely an astrological signature of military might in draw-down. Let us hope that happens. Taking a look at our current wars of adventure, intelligence escapades and the lies leading to needless bloodshed and lost treasury throughout the past decades, our crumbling empire cannot make room for any more mistakes.

The pressure is on for the White House, the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency. They need to — and had better — get this one right.