Military

'If you think the State Department runs American foreign policy, think again:’ Meet America's true war machine

If you think the State Department runs American foreign policy, think again.

The primary force that controls U.S. foreign policy in most recent administrations—including the administration of Barack Obama— has been the Pentagon.

In the simplest sense, the Pentagon is where the money is, and in Washington, as elsewhere, money talks.

Even Admiral Mike Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has expressed concern about the Pentagon’s overwhelming influence on foreign policy.

In a March 3, 2010, speech, Mullen declared, “U.S. foreign policy is still too dominated by the military, too dependent upon the generals and admirals who lead our major over- seas commands.”