Washington, USA

Full-spectrum dominance is a military concept whereby a joint military structure achieves control over all elements of the battlespace using land, air, maritime, and space based assets. Full spectrum dominance includes the physical battlespace; air, surface, and sub-surface, as well as the electromagnetic spectrum and information space. Control implies that freedom of opposition force assets to exploit the battlespace is wholly constrained.

The United States military’s doctrine has espoused a strategic intent to be capable of achieving this state in a conflict, either alone or with allies, by defeating any adversary and controlling any situation across the range of military operations. The stated intent implies significant investment in a range of capabilities; dominant maneuver, precision engagement, focused logistics, and full-dimensional protection.

The United States armed forces boast over 800 military bases around the world, a “defense” budget greater than those of the rest of the world’s nations combined (and growing each year), as well as a nuclear arsenal large enough to blow up the world many times over. Coining a concept such as the unending War on Terrorism provides rationalized justification and opportunity for expeditionary warfare, feeding the aspirations of those with dreams of an American Empire, while at the same time entrenching the world’s viewpoint of the USA as a hegemonic aggressor.

My heart goes out to the many millions of American citizens (among them hundreds of good personal friends) who do not wish this to be so… and yet seem powerless to bring about change—in large part due to the controlling dominance of the profit-motivated corporate sector (who continue to capitalize on the concept that “war is good business”) backed by the support of a fear-ridden populace. Thanks to the entrenchment of the USA PATRIOT Act (the contrived acronym stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001) it seems doubtful that meaningful change will emerge any time soon…

Image: American Dick by Scott Reeder, 2007 (as seen in the current issue of Adbusters, Number 6, Volume 17, #86, November/December 2009)