Unfortunately, many taxpayers and most politicians are totally illiterate when it comes to the subject of warfare. (Judging from the dismal results in the last ten years, a similar conclusion might to drawn concerning the U.S. officer corps.) You aren't kidding there. War, or even peacekeeping, has become a jobs program for half the poor countries of the world.
The American military also goes through massive purges of the officer corps whenever there is a Democrat Administration. Carter did it. Clinton did it more thoroughly and with more noise and rancor and
LeninObama has been more methodical but they have all done it. It is why it took so long to begin to get the upper hand in the Iraq war, the political generals and bureaucrat generals had to be replaced bit by bit by combat experienced troops coming up through the ranks on the battlefield. The Surge was a nice enhancement but it would have failed if the old Clinton commanders were still in place. You cannot have a consistent military policy when you do that to your military.
Leftists of all varieties always fear the military and feel they must tame it and get it under their immediate control or replace it when they accede to power. This President is even more ambitious in that respect than Clinton was. He is creating or has created a Praetorian Guard, his civilian force that is to be as well funded as the military. There are several parts to that, TSA, ICE, various Federal agencies that have been armed since 2008 and the militarized police departments in the cities.
I think we will find out more about the shape of this Civilian Force after November 6.