Posted on Jan 20, 2017
Which President has been most supportive of our military and what past Presidents should President Trump emulate or differ from and why?
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Which President has been best for our military and why? Who should President Trump emulate and who should he learn from about what NOT to do and why?
Posted in these groups: 
Military Life
Military Life
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 23
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A few thoughts:
1. Define "supportive". Monetary support? Moral support? Vocal support? Best supported the military through good decision making? All the above?
2. Should emulate:
a. Reagan. Directed buildup of military when strategically needed to accomplish his objectives. Slow to deploy/employ the military but decisively supported when he did (Libya, Grenada). What to learn: tie actions to his objectives.
b. Kennedy. Owned his successes and his failures. Did not pass the buck. Saw need for and championed the Special Forces. What to learn: own the good and the bad.
c. Bush 41. Arguably the best qualified to be President before becoming President. Built national and international coalition against Iraq. What to learn: what it takes to defeat radical Islam.
d. Roosevelt. Able to see and operate strategically. Led the American people rather than followed opinion polls. What to learn: focus on the things that only the President can do.
3. Should differ from:
a. Obama. Poor strategic decision making. Used military for social engineering. Never took ownership of any failure. What to learn: how/when to make decisions.
b. Clinton. Liked to tell our enemies what was on and off the table for military options. What to learn: don't give free chicken to our enemies.
c. Carter. Where to start? Indecisive, strategically inept, portrayed weakness to our adversaries. Did broker peace between Egypt and Israel though. What to learn: how to be a better ex President than a President.
d Johnson. Tried to conduct war on the cheap. Micromanaged the military. What to Learn: give guidance and get the hell out of the way.
4. Neither emulate nor differ from.
a. Bush 43. Strong response to 9/11 but ordered attack of Iraq without a Phase IV plan. What to learn: Plan for all six phases of an operation.
b. Nixon. Strategic vision good but so paranoid that he enabled his own downfall. What to learn: The President can not and should not respond to every petty political attack upon his administration.
1. Define "supportive". Monetary support? Moral support? Vocal support? Best supported the military through good decision making? All the above?
2. Should emulate:
a. Reagan. Directed buildup of military when strategically needed to accomplish his objectives. Slow to deploy/employ the military but decisively supported when he did (Libya, Grenada). What to learn: tie actions to his objectives.
b. Kennedy. Owned his successes and his failures. Did not pass the buck. Saw need for and championed the Special Forces. What to learn: own the good and the bad.
c. Bush 41. Arguably the best qualified to be President before becoming President. Built national and international coalition against Iraq. What to learn: what it takes to defeat radical Islam.
d. Roosevelt. Able to see and operate strategically. Led the American people rather than followed opinion polls. What to learn: focus on the things that only the President can do.
3. Should differ from:
a. Obama. Poor strategic decision making. Used military for social engineering. Never took ownership of any failure. What to learn: how/when to make decisions.
b. Clinton. Liked to tell our enemies what was on and off the table for military options. What to learn: don't give free chicken to our enemies.
c. Carter. Where to start? Indecisive, strategically inept, portrayed weakness to our adversaries. Did broker peace between Egypt and Israel though. What to learn: how to be a better ex President than a President.
d Johnson. Tried to conduct war on the cheap. Micromanaged the military. What to Learn: give guidance and get the hell out of the way.
4. Neither emulate nor differ from.
a. Bush 43. Strong response to 9/11 but ordered attack of Iraq without a Phase IV plan. What to learn: Plan for all six phases of an operation.
b. Nixon. Strategic vision good but so paranoid that he enabled his own downfall. What to learn: The President can not and should not respond to every petty political attack upon his administration.
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Cpl Raymond Hottinger
are these the 6 phases Colonel? https://stuffiwish.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/six-phases-of-the-continuum-of-military-operations/
Six phases of the “Continuum of Military Operations.”
Phase 0: Shape the Environment. This phase involves those joint interagency and multinational activities conducted on an ongoing, routine basis to assure or solidify friendly relationships and all…
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COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM
CPL Hottinger, yes, above are the six phases of an operation that I was referring to. Directly out of Army and Joint doctrine for planning military operations.
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PO3 Donald Murphy
COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM - I agree with one exception. Carter. Submarine qualified. Not afraid of technology and knows how to use it. The B-1 had just been cancelled. Carter is in Merced, next to Castle "Home Of The B-1" AFB. Tons of USAF in the audience boo'ing. He then says "I know cancelling the bomber in favor of cruise missiles was a blow. But if a cruise gets shot down, we lose no one. If a bomber gets shot down, we lose the crew. Your husbands, fathers and brothers and sons. I just thought your lives were more valuable than a missile's life." You could have heard a pin drop after that...
Ships aren't built in a day. They take years. Most of "Reagan's 600 ship Navy" was laid down under Carter's watch. Like JFK, the military did not like Carter and made their decision to dog him every chance they got. Had he pulled a JFK and *NOT* listened to the in-fighting military, he'd have pulled off a rescue of the hostages. Also note that a certain GHWBush is in Tehran at the very minute Carter is in planning, making a deal ****NOT**** to release the hostages. Carter couldn't win if he wanted to.
Peace between Egypt and Israel? Yeah, that's pretty much the defining moment that no president can top (save winning WW2...). How quicker would Gorbachev have pulled the wall down if Reagan had been a little smoother around the edges? Reagan was a great president but not for the reasons we ascribe to him. Carter was a bad president, but not for the reasons we ascribe to him.
Ships aren't built in a day. They take years. Most of "Reagan's 600 ship Navy" was laid down under Carter's watch. Like JFK, the military did not like Carter and made their decision to dog him every chance they got. Had he pulled a JFK and *NOT* listened to the in-fighting military, he'd have pulled off a rescue of the hostages. Also note that a certain GHWBush is in Tehran at the very minute Carter is in planning, making a deal ****NOT**** to release the hostages. Carter couldn't win if he wanted to.
Peace between Egypt and Israel? Yeah, that's pretty much the defining moment that no president can top (save winning WW2...). How quicker would Gorbachev have pulled the wall down if Reagan had been a little smoother around the edges? Reagan was a great president but not for the reasons we ascribe to him. Carter was a bad president, but not for the reasons we ascribe to him.
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LCpl Darren Wilkens
Raymond Pawlicki Clinton hated the military! He closed MANY bases with CA being the hardest hit. Obummer hated the military as well. He did nothing but bring down moral with his constant attacks on their religious freedoms, using the military as a social experiment, blocking men/women overseas from voting, not giving them the equipment they desperately needed, taking lunch away from those serving in a combat zone and changing the ROE's to benefit his terrorist buddies. (I don't remember much about Carter).
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In my lifetime, the two are one and the same: Reagan. 600 ship Navy, etc. And Trump would do well to emulate his forthright integrity.
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PO3 Donald Murphy
Ships aren't built in a day. They take years. Most of "Reagan's 600 ship Navy" was laid down under Carter's watch. Where Reagan screwed up, was keeping tons of WW2 vintage and 1950's vintage ships in commission. I remember going on board ships that fought in WW2 when I joined in the 80's! Yes, this swells your numbers but at the same time, you then have different supply chains. You have to keep several different lifestyles of parts. Not a smart move.
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Gong with Reagan because he rebuilt the Military and Strengthened US Ties and Allies around the world...and backed the Russian Bear into cave and kept him there... till Clinton and BHO released Him and the Chi-Com Dragon...
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