Speaking to reporters after a visit to San Antonio’s Randolph Air Force Base on Saturday, President Bush again urged Congress to consider making the Pentagon the lead agency for relief operations at home whether a disaster is natural or manmade. Congress is doing that very thing, with reviews of legal precedents underway. However, a key question percolating around the Beltway and beyond, is how much can the US military take on? (DR, 09/22/05)
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…