■"Panel Calls U.S. Troop Size Insufficient for Demands," by Thom Shanker, New York Times, 24 September 2004, p. A12.

Pentagon appoints a panel of outside experts. They review the commitments around the world. They look at the troops. They see the effects of the asymptotic rise in crisis/conflict response days that stretches back to the end of the Cold War even as our personnel resource base has declined (early 90s) or remained flat (since).

Guess what they decided?

We're short of troops.

Aha! The draft is coming!

Fat chance.

What's coming is a new rule set. We spent the 90s pretending we could technologize the problem away, or deny it's existence (Powell Doctrine), but now the feces are hitting the air-circulation device and the only choices that remain involve dramatically new rules.

We are going to civilianize and internationalize the peacekeepingn function. That is why the Sys Admin begins in the Defense Department but ultimately migrates across the Potomac to something/somebody else. This force will ultimately become something part of the US government and yet not. Run by the U.S. and yet not.

We won't do it because we want to in the Pentagon. We won't do it for some conspiracy toward one-world government or UN-rule. We'll do it because we have no choice. We'll do it because the evolution of the strategic environment demands that we do.

We'll do it because there's a Gap and it must be shrunk.

I don't predict, I reveal. You can hate the revelation, or you can get busy.