Despite the oddity of a huge military establishment with no plausible superpower foes, this fact is rarely remarked upon. That is because almost everyone in a position to care, from members of Congress fighting military base closings to flak-jacketed journalists addicted to covering war zones, has an investment in keeping the money flowing. Not only does this huge military establishment represent an enormous waste of money, Hart argues, it is also politically disastrous. For a democratic republic, there is a world of difference between these two institutions. His view on this subject is shared by many well-regarded military thinkers, which is not to say that it is necessarily right.
War often manages to confound the experts' predictions.
But technology seems to be pointing in the direction Hart suggests, with the implements of destruction becoming less expensive and more powerful, and with modern communications depriving huge integrated armies of the organizational advantages they once possessed. Hart's predictions may be wrong, but they are certainly plausible. Hart's prescription represents a radical change. In short, he proposes a much smaller professional army, backed up by much larger reserve forces and, ultimately, by an entire population with military training. All citizens would undergo military training, followed by a short period of active duty and a lifetime of reserve status.