Von Clausewitz: "Power is the will and ability to win applied to achieving an objective."

America's founders understood this. Their few abilities relative to the power of Great Britain were compensated by rallying the "will to win." Thomas Paine's Common Sense and The American Crisis defined the need for the will to win.

America's founders institutionalized their understanding and experience with The Militia Act of 1792. Reflecting the defect of slavery that would require the deaths of 600,000 American soldiers to correct, the Act require, "That each and every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective States, resident therein, who is or shall be of age of eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years (except as is herein after excepted) shall severally and respectively be enrolled in the militia"

It also noted the reality that a free people must be able to attend to their jobs, "And that no officer, non-commissioned officer or private of the militia shall be compelled to serve more than three months in any one year..."

Even with this limitation of "three months in any one year," The Militia Act asked for more than could be sustained. It soon was ignored and abandoned.

Today, Americans are untrained in how to defend themselves and the nation. The US will to win is reflected in our 0 and 3 war win-loss record (Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan). This 0 and 3 win-loss record is not caused by a lack of ability. In Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the US ability to win far exceeded the abilities of adversaries.

America is facing the end of affordable oil, the emergence of AI that might be an intelligent competitor, Climate Change, $37 trillion in debt, and other civilization killers.

To rally the will to win, to correct policymakers from getting Americans into wars we will not win, we need to apply the lessons learned in war at America's founding. We need every citizen to have 3-5 months of universal infantry training.

3-5 months

  • Is not long enough to make good infantry people.
  • Is long enough to make bad sheep.
  • Is long enough to awaken social cohesion.
  • Is short enough so the rich and powerful cannot exempt their children.
  • Is long enough to give citizen experience to keep out of office policymakers that will commit the nation to war without the declaration of war required the Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution.