Here is a brief article concerning the growth of Special Forces

In as much as strategy is concerned, Obama is obviously proving himself rather sharp here, much more than those who preceded him. The conventional military is not equipped to deal with the specialized operations needed around the world. We are still practically trapped in trenches of WWII. In particular, the conventional military lacks the lingual and cultural backgrounds which is so important when "peacefully" occupying a foreign country. (The "peacefully is not meant to be ironic; I really do mean that it is at least not a war to exterminate or utterly subordinate the native populace) This move is something that should have been a long time coming.

In all honesty, our strategy of relying on technology more than the human mind has proved remarkably short sighted. It is strategically inferior and also cheats the soldiers out of growth, into a chance at becoming intelligent warriors as opposed to merely a mobile weapons platform. To spread the expertise of the special forces more broadly throughout the military should be part of our battle plan.

Much like most modern religions, afraid of losing membership due to its harshness, our military has in many ways become too soft, not pushing our soldiers mentally or physically as far as they should be pushed. Truly, it is a cultural malady, and there are reports that many of the youths entering into military life are in very bad shape from a sedentary life of videogames and television. No doubt that it is also the case that their faculties of reasoning are equally blunted from a lack of mental stimulation and introspection.

The military is, of course, famously anti-intellectual, and there are obvious reasons why this should be fostered. A man who thinks too much about killing is perhaps less likely to kill without thinking, and therefore less useful as a weapon. I would suggest that this is another outmoded and, in a democracy, outlandishly dangerous point of view. Our soldiers should be the most thoughtful, the most educated in philosophy and history, in political sciences. The soldiers day should never be spent idle, for as a potent and powerful being, he has a responsibility to think. And no doubt it would be best for the republic, for many soldiers return from duty thinking themselves above such banal and effeminate tasks like thinking when they already 'know' everything.

So, what can the average citizen do at home? My suggestion is you buy a gun and learn how to use it. Keep your mind sharp, your body lean and ready. There may be a day when your country needs you to fight for the military, or when the country needs you to fight against the military. If there were ever a reason to fight against our own government, you would be no better off than the terrorists (which is precisely what you would be labeled). Aside from brutal force and numbers, you would also be spied upon from unseen eyes from the heavens, fired upon by snipers who remain well out of reach among the clouds. For this reason, it is not enough to trust the nationally controlled military for security.

Bygone are the days when having a few town cannons might at least make the enemy think twice before attacking, when your life had to be bought by the enemies' blood. Now you can be exterminated over a cup of coffee, your murderer a hundred or a thousand miles away, cozy in a cubicle. This is not the sort of technology which should be allowed a democratic government; it can only be a tool of oppression. A nation's strength is in its people. We must be willing to die, and that willingness must be real, it must be alive. If it were, perhaps we would be more choosy about which wars we involved ourselves in. This is done not to save lives, but to save our liberty from ourselves.

So, again, a brilliant step in the right direction for our military, refocusing our resources on special operators, well trained, thoughtful men, but drones should be banished. I cringe at the thought of assassinations done in my name by proxy of a machine. I cannot think of a way to appear more cowardly.

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.

Provided we ever get involved in a just war again, I will be proud to become the embodiment of the phrase.

ps. I am so, so sorry that I ramble on so rather than staying on one topic. Consider it a weakness in my writing. I'll work on it. In the meantime, enjoy my over broad rantings.