Commentary
Mao Zedong famously wrote that the guerrillas’ relationship with the people is like a fish in water. This powerful metaphor may be usefully applied in other contexts, including the consideration of what countries need to defend themselves.
All defense ministries swim in the water of their political and social systems. All exist to defend their country and necessarily are supported through resources drawn from that society, the people, finances, and material, and governed by the political system of their states.
The United States is no exception. America’s national security depends upon the Pentagon, to be sure, but fundamentally it does upon the U.S. political system and society. They provide it with the resources to conduct its many missions and serve as the object of what must be defended against the enemies of the United States.
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