Key Points
- Refocus the DOD on war fighting, chain of command accountability
- Adopt “irregular warfare” as a cornerstone of US military strategy abroad
- Design a system to purchase new or experimental weapons systems without breaking the law but avoiding DOD regulatory red tape; boost US military sales.
- Increase DOD support to DHS for domestic border security
- Limit China and its nuclear military capability by supporting a Taiwan “denial defense”
- In a major step, reverse the historic US policy of deterrence-only to invest and adopt an offensive missile defense policy and a space defense policy
- Support allies to engage in, and shoulder, the burden of conventional warfare
- Enact a radical transformation of the Marine Corps, Force Design 2030
- Expel individuals with “gender dysphoria” (transgender), cut public funding for transgender surgery or to facilitate abortion for servicemembers
- Counter DOD diversity initiatives: eliminate “Marxist indoctrination and divisive critical race theory programs” and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices and staff
- Monitor military schools to remove “Marxist indoctrination;” eliminate tenure for leftist scholars
- Invest in US CyberCom
Miller presents an established conservative US isolationist approach to war but calls for a radical and alarming changes to DOD policy. He advocates adopting “irregular warfare” as a cornerstone of US military strategy.
In a dangerous shift, he also proposes reversing the historic US position of deterrence in missile and space defense systems. He also suggests sidestepping Congressional oversight to purchase new or experimental weapons systems, testing the legal limits of DOD to do so. All are aggressive steps.
The call to expel transgender servicemembers and eliminate funding for gender surgery or abortion is in line with Project 2025’s larger culture war and anti-gender agenda, as is the elimination of DEI policies and curricula, and threat to fire leftist scholars.
Full Summary
In his overview of the deep problems plaguing today’s military and Department of Defense, Miller cites a “two-tiered” culture of command that shields top officers from accountability while harming lower-level officers and field soldiers, along with wasteful spending, sifting security policies, poor program execution. He also blames the Biden administration for “a profoundly unserious equity agenda and vaccine mandates” that has hurt the military.
He calls for a refocus on warfighting, reestablishing a culture of command accountability and the “non-politicization” of the DOD, plus increased DID support to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for border protection operations – a national security issue.
The US must act to limit China and its nuclear military capability by supporting a “denial defense” of Taiwan to counter Beijing’s domination of Taiwan and Asia. Russia, Iran and North Korea and transnational terrorism in the Middle East are the top threats to American interests. Miller’s proposal calls for calling upon US allies, and helping to boost their capacity to defend themselves.
Proposals:
- Against Russia, US NATO allies should shoulder the burden of conventional warfare, limiting the US to a “nuclear deterrent” role.
- Taiwan and Asian regional allies, with Australia, should create a collective defense model.
- In the Middle East, the US should continue supporting Israel while pushing Gulf allies to patrol their own airspace and control their own missile defenses.
- Importantly, the US must heavily invest to modernize its nuclear military capacity, since China and Russia are doing that. The US must avoid any threat of nuclear coercion, he argues.
Among reforms, Miller emphasizes a need to invest in new technologies needed “to fight and win wars, and support purchase of American-made products and those of allies. He proposes designing a system to purchase new or experimental systems without breaking the law but avoiding DOD regulatory red tape. He also pushes for restoring America’s status as the leading seller of “the arsenal of democracy;” boosting foreign military sales is a major conservative goal. To help achieve this goal, he calls for eliminating Congressional tiered review of prospective arms deals apart from times when unanimous Congressional support is guaranteed.
Miller seeks to transform military training and culture, arguing, “The Army can no longer
serve as the nation’s social testing ground.”
Proposals include:
- Increase recruitment to the military with, among steps, placing ROTC in secondary schools
- Expel individuals with “gender dysphoria” (transgender individuals)
- Cut “any public monies for transgender surgeries, or to facilitate abortion for servicemembers”
- Eliminate “Marxist indoctrination and divisive critical race theory programs” as well as “newly established diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and staff”
- Monitor military schools to remove “Marxist indoctrination;” eliminating tenure for academics deemed too liberal/left
Other major proposals:
- Force Design 2030, labeled “the most radical transformation of the Marine Corps since World War II”
- Adopt “irregular warfare” as a cornerstone of US military strategy and using this domestically as well as abroad
- In a major departure, changing historic US missile defense policy from ‘only deterrence’ to new adoption and investment in offensive missile defense
- In space defense, reverse the Biden administration’s current policy, which is deemed “limited to defense,” (deterrence) to provide offensive capabilities.
- Invest in the US CyberCom system as a critical priority
- End CyberCom’s participation in federal efforts to “fortify” elections “to eliminate the perception that DOD is engaging in partisan politics”