But as the most powerful state, it has the responsibility to call out posses to deal with aggression, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and violently disruptive behavior. Yet pursuing the analogy shows how limited it is. The frontier sheriff acted as a transitional figure pending the establishment of organized authority, but also in the confidence that there would be organized authority in a few years. The sheriff and the posse lacked the capacity to act for the long term. They dealt with specific events in isolation, local events that were not connected to what was happening elsewhere along the frontier.
Flexibility is admirable, but situations usually are unforeseen because there has been no foresight.
The tools of the old posse were the horse, the six-gun and the rifle. Today's posses rely on planes, tanks, aircraft carriers and tactical missiles. But the technological differences are less important than the simple fact that both old and new posses rely on implements of force against violence. The sheriff-posse idea certainly has its uses. It was employed on a large scale in the gulf war of 1991 and more recently in Bosnia.