[PGR88]

Howitzers available to the citizenry, else no howitzers for Department of Defense to arm Marines in Operation Desert Storm; basically what you're sayin'?

That's the army. Its not police. And America used to not have a large standing army, even right before WWII.

[Ahithophel]

That's the army. Its not police.

Yes, that's the army, and the army (w/ its howitzers) is part of Government. Executive branch of federal Government includes Department of Defense.

If thesis "Government should never be better armed than its citizenry" is correct, then Army shouldn't be better armed than the citizenry. Army not part of Department of Defense, now basically what you're sayin'?