Though I usually disagree with Buchanan, I don't so much in this case. I think he's right: We do need to increase the size of our standing army, and not rely so heavily on reservists.
I did not read his column as recommending a shift from reserves to active, but decreasing the missions of the US military as a whole. Sounds good, but we must decide if we are going to be a force for democracy in the world or should cower under our beds every time some two-bit tin-horn dictator tells us to go away.
Citizen soldiers are vital to keeping the military connected to the rest of the population. Reserves should not be done away with, nor should they become little more than weekend warriors getting paid to play army man.
His position is that of a nationalist, bring troops home from other engagements and keep them honed to protect the country when attacked.
By removing troops from the Korean peninsula, Germany, the Balkans, etc, we can more effectively use troops to protect our borders, etc. He is really against being 'forward deployed' like we are now throughout the middle east, and other regions.
The Reservists have a place in the military, and I think it is starting to be more efficiently managed, then it was a few short years ago.
Rome at its height of power only had 35 Legions (about 350 000 men) to defend the entire empire. Like the US it was a strain on her manpower especially when other civilized nations to her eastern edge (Persia, Parthia, Sassanids, etc) started wars. Rome learned to defend her interests by proxy and local auxillary troops (Romans living in area and local natives) and the Legion was brought in as a coup de grace or as a last resort. Given the political division within this nation, a negative MSM, and a large anti war in our elites (celebs, college professors and etc), it is near impossible to fight a long and drawn out war with our troops. I think we need to look at the Afghan model (Northern Alliance troops, backed by US airpower, SOF/CIA teams) and the recent Somalia war (Ethiopia backed by US airpower, intel and SOF/CIA teams) as our new way of confronting our enemies without evoking the ire of the political opposition in this nation who in the end with the MSM will undermind the war even if we are winning the insurgency. NOTE - no one cried foul when the Ethiopian troops allowed the Somalian warlord troops shoot the jihadist prisoners when the towns were retakened. I guarantee those who supported the jihadist rule were rooted out and shot when the warlord troops retook the towns lost.
Not going to happen for three reasons.
Medicare
Medicaid
Social Security
Those three will do more to destroy our military than the Soviets ever dreamed.