Spring 2023 Course via Zoom

The Use and Misuse of the American Military

Tuesdays 10:45AM–12:30PM, April 11-May 16, 2023

Course Description: U.S. strategic aspirations are advanced by a foreign policy utilizing trade, diplomacy, military warfare, intelligence, foreign aid, and global environmental cooperation. The US military has been used (and at times misused) the last 75 years as a foreign policy cudgel in an uneven and sometimes inexplicable fashion. This has made the US appear imperialistic, arrogant, hypocritical, and erratic. The results are embarrassing – the world’s most powerful military has not won a war in 75 years-- and has spawned disdain for our policies and loss of faith in the word of the U.S. Government. We will look at case studies of American military aggressions which resulted in foreign policy fiascos which have eroded the image and reputation of America around the world and attenuated the role of the US as a staunch defender of freedom, rule of law, and democracy.

Course Director: Dr. Michael Baker retired from a 50-year career in medicine involving the practice ofgeneral surgery and trauma surgery. He also had a parallel career in the military, accepting a reservecommission in 1979. As a Navy Officer, he has experience in operational medicine, overseasdeployments, war gaming, and strategic planning. He worked on contingency planning for variouspotential theaters of conflict. These include the Persian Gulf area as Naval Forces Central CommandMedical Officer, plans and exercises for potential events in Korea / Asia as the Commander of US NavalMedical Forces Korea, and he had a tour at US Strategic Command – America’s deterrent force. Heserved his country in uniform for 30 years and retired with the rank of Rear Admiral, and on retirementwas awarded his 3rd Legion of Merit, which he proudly wears alongside his Marine Corps Combat Actionribbon and the Combat Craft Riverine Warfare pin. He currently teaches combat casualty care, triage,trauma, and response to complex disasters and humanitarian emergencies.

He has been in Ukraine twice during the 2022 war to teach Advanced Trauma Life Support to medicalpersonnel, and will soon leave on a 3rd tour. He has published over 80 peer reviewed articles, andlectures on strategy, global health, world events -- and serves on the Board of the World Affairs Councilof Northern California. Using his experience in both careers, he will inform the students about USforeign policy and the use and misuse of the military and try to bridge the gap between the public andthose who serve in uniform. He will assess the role of the military in American society, and seek anoptimistic way forward for the nation.

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Registration begins 3/15/2023. Class will be presented online via Zoom and recorded for later viewing. Enrollment Fee: $95 for each 6 week course. (On-line and possible in person classes)

Fees are non-refundable. (Classes will be recorded for later online viewing)

Presented by Healdsburg American Association of University Women (AAUW). Proceeds support local educational programs and scholarships for women and girls. For more information, go to healdsburg-ca.aauw.net.