Much talk is heard about war and peace, the role of NATO, collective will, preparedness to win wars, the need to create deterrence, avoid more appeasement, and get things back on track. Rightly so. The world is unstable, and peace comes through strength. Rings true does it not?
One hundred and ten years ago this month, July 1914, World War I started. It resulted from wishful thinking, a power vacuum, fatal misjudgments, and an imbalance between two competing alliances, the “Triple Entente” (Britain, France, and Russia) and “Triple Alliance” (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy). Three years later, the US ended that war, leaving 17 million dead, and 25 million wounded.
Eighty-five years ago next month, August 1939, the soon-to-be-enemies Soviet and German governments signed a secret pact, swearing allegiance to each other, imagining they would divide the world, beginning with Poland. It was called the “Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact.”
One month later, Germany invaded Poland, divided between the Soviets and Germans. There is no honor among thieves, fascists, or communists. A year later, Germany turned on the Soviets.
War in Europe only ended in May 1945, after the US-led D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. It ended in the Pacific, after vicious fighting, in August 1945, with two US atomic bombs. Dead: 70 million.
So, wars are expensive in life, loss, and cost, better avoided through relentless communication, diplomacy, preparation, and an unquestionable will and ability to win, which often deters them. As nations and leaders from the Chinese strategist Sun Tzu to American President Ronald Reagan knew, peace comes through strength – so strength is worth cultivating.
George C. Marshall, top US general, “organizer of victory” in World War II, author of the Marshall Plan, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and Nobel Peace Prize winner spoke to America and the world before, during, and after World War II – but importantly, he still speaks to us now.
Having served on the George C. Marshall Foundation board, studied his life, visited his gravesite at Arlington, and pondered how this man of war could have embodied such peace, his words echo.
Marshall would likely guide us to slow down, fortify our foundation, and focus on preparing for unsavory contingencies, however unlikely, wars far from home and closer, deter further unraveling. He would press the nation’s leaders to think bigger, stop bickering, understand the stakes – and push us to.
Wrote the elder Marshall, looking back: “War is abhorrent to me and I pray that we may avoid it, for I have lived with daily casualty lists and that is a truly awful experience. I have gone through hospital after hospital and viewed the human wreckage of war. I always left with the feeling that we had failed miserably in our efforts to avert the cause of such sacrifices.”
Elsewhere, this man – who tried to keep China from going Communist, led the Red Cross, and never stopped speaking about war and peace – warned how fast things happen. “Warfare today is a thing of swift movement – of rapid concentrations. It requires the buildup of enormous firepower, against successive objectives at breakthrough speed. It is not a game for unimaginative plodder.”
If it moved fast in his day, how much faster today, with cyberwarfare, information, space, and drone warfare, feints within feints, fifth, sixth, and seventh columns before us and among us?
Two last lessons from Marshall resonate, a man some decry as too plodding himself, not warlike enough, not a nail-chewing dealer of death – although personal hero to Colin Powell and others.
World War II ending, Marshall reflected: “We are now concerned with the peace of the entire world. And the peace can only be maintained by the strong.” Simple truth: Peace comes through strength.
The last lesson is often lost, yet guided Marshall all his life, passed on in letters and speeches, one he hoped might stick. It, too, is timely. If peace comes through strength, strength is not just guns and butter. To truly win, we must know ourselves, believe in ourselves, and believe in God.
Wrote Marshall to a friend: “We must not only never lose sight of God in our daily lives, but must turn to Him more and more for guidance in these difficult days.” Rings true does it not, then as now?
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC.
RBC,
The best part of your article was this: “It resulted from wishful thinking, a power vacuum, fatal misjudgments, and an imbalance between two competing alliances”. If you look at how most wars start, that is usually an apt description to describe them as well. Put less delicately, wars usually start when you have feckless leaders reliant on a combination of bad advice and wishful thinking from people with little to no real-world experience of actual conditions on the ground. Toss in a bit of ego and the misconception that the other side shares exactly the same ideals we do and you have the perfect recipe for war where a lot of people end up paying the price for the miscalculations of the supposed leaders and their “expert” advisors.
As for General Marshall, he was of course 100% correct. His so-called downfall wasn’t that he didn’t know what was needed to be done to keep the nation safe and secure for the long-term from its enemies, but rather that he dared to speak plainly about what needed to be done to meet that objective. Too many in Washington, even at that time, didn’t want to hear his message or follow his advice.
RBC, great article on Gen. Marshall. Your last two paragraphs are so applicable to this day. Our nation has been a reactive mode rather than proactive. Our nation is truly vulnerable at this time and needs to wake up before it is too late.
George C. Marshall, a great mind, great heart and soul too , a great general — someone to look to and say ” That is what the American Spirit is all about ! ” This is a very informative article, RBC and the history shows how to apply lessons from previous experiences to present circumstances — Peace through strength — exactly what people with intelligence, courage, experience with war fighting, and respect for the God given right of freedom value . To be ready to defend the United States from a Pearl Harbor or September 11, 2001 sort of attack , to be prepared to respond to such a situation is vital , it is the sensible way to hold things together and do what is right and honorable. The matter of communication is fundamental in keeping civilization strong and everything that encourages communication — for defense, for peaceful. relations , for building good character and having a noble sense of purpose should be respected and be appreciated as it can provide the understanding needed in order to avert negative things and promote the positive things that will add to the betterment of life. In. the spirit of respect for Truth and Liberty.
Good article & I hope that NATO grows stronger & not the other way. Trump must understand that NATO is not a business to be operated by him, but is a defender of all rich or poor nations. His statement “Russia can do whatever the hell you want if a nation does not pay their dollars into NATO is horrifying to me. Peace in the world must include all & not just the countries that have a lot of money. And it is wrong for Russia to attack a nation the way they have Ukraine. In that issue, Trump is scary & one of his faults is that he will never admit that he is wrong.
He was an extraordinary person. we were lucky he was allowed to lead our country at the time he did. Providence perhaps.
World War I lasted from 28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918, how is that “…three years later…”? Common core math?
Well, they didn’t name a chain of Pacific Islands after him for nothing, I suppose…
Yep, gotta love the sainted George Marshall, the man the US ordered to enslave the war torn western Europe with rebuilding funds some of those nations are still paying off to this day, Oh and with his God like “Marshall Plan”, in addition to burdening western Europe with heavy debts apparently some small print demanded eternal military bases be ensconced on European in Americas ever ongoing efforts at obtaining a one world government with the good ole USSA as its ruler.
Well, finally a nation stood up and so far has destroyed THREE NATO armies the collective west has gone bankrupt financing and a fourth NATO military is right now collapsing like a heart shot deer. Someone finally stood up to the bully nation with hegemonic desires and in essence urinated in its Post Toasties. That nation is Russia, THE nation responsible for 82% of NAZI casualties in WW2 and who had defeated Germany as early as the dawn of the spring of 1942…..just as the US military arrived.
Learn from REAL history rather than the revisionist version Hollywood co wrote Mr. Charles and do so before its too late as young you are no more.