The compelling reason to reinvest in America's Army and Marine Corps is not to withdraw and prepare for the "next war," but to build land forces capable of sustaining and prevailing in the so-called "Long War," the effort to secure more legitimate governments, and thus a more durable stability, in vital regions like the Persian Gulf.

So what does a Long War land force look like?

To begin with, it's bigger. Much bigger: We need a total active-duty Army and Marine Corps of about one million. That is almost exactly the same as the two land services were at the end of the Cold War, but it's a lot more than the total of about 700,000, and much more than the 750,000 called for by the Bush Administration's plan - a plan, by the way, endorsed by Obama. John McCain has recommended an expansion to 900,000. (So who's for "staying the course"?)