US armed forces: reflecting those whom they "defend"?

http://www.plp.org/challenge/2010/10/9/us-bosses-tactical-split-on-iran-war-army-loyalty.html

excerpt:

....In a September 28 speech at Duke University, Defense Secretary Robert Gates complained that officers and foot soldiers come increasingly from red states: “Currently, the percentage of the force from the Northeast, the West Coast and major cities continues to decline.”

Gates said that the military’s own decisions on where to locate bases have reinforced the trend, with a significant percentage of Army posts moved in recent years to just five states: Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas and Washington. This trend, Gates said, also affects the recruiting and educating of new officers.

“The state of Alabama, with a population of less than five million, has 10 Army ROTC host programs,” he lamented. “The Los Angeles metro area, population over 12 million, hosts four ROTC programs. And the Chicago metro area, population nine million, has three.” There is a risk, over time, Gates declared, of developing a cadre of military leaders that — politically, culturally and geographically — have less and less in common with the people they have sworn to defend.

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