[Breitbart] Wilkerson, who now teaches at the College of William & Mary, spoke Thursday on a panel titled "The Impact of War on Military Readiness," sponsored by the Committee for Responsible Foreign Policy.
No comments from the Defense Contracting establishment.
Wilkerson argued that maintaining a presence in Afghanistan or conducting presence operations around the world that are not existential was wearing down the military’s ability to fight in future existential wars, such as against China.
"When you spend 17 years in Afghanistan and don’t fire your main tank gun, don’t fire your 8″ Howitzer or your 155 Howitzer, don’t fire your MLRS or anything else, you atrophy in terms of your ability to fight in an existential or near-existential conflict," he said.
"Or when you do nothing but Freedom of Navigation exercises ... and suddenly you’re thrust into a real naval battle on the high seas, and you don’t have enough escorts even to rescue your own people off a carrier, you’re in trouble," he said.
He said the ongoing wars in Afghanistan ‐ which entered its eighteenth year last week ‐ has already taken a heavy toll on the one percent of Americans who serve in the nation’s military.