Financial Crisis Has Military Implications, Vice Chairman Says

BALTIMORE --- The current global financial crisis is a far-reaching problem that has implications for the U.S. military and other organizations, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.>> Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright spoke to more than 150 business leaders, professors and students from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School about several different business-related topics.>> The general said the recent Russia-Georgia conflict in South Ossetia played havoc with the Russian economy, which could have led to problems militarily. In this market turmoil, Russia and China could have chosen a different path that would have been incredibly difficult for us to survive, Cartwright said. He said they didnt do so because of the interdependence of the worlds economy and a conscious choice by their governments.>> Cartwright said that interdependence is reflected in an as they go, we go and as we go, they go mentality, which is something that is easier to deal with than the Russian-U.S. strategy during the 1950s to 1980s.>> Much as nuclear weapons in the Cold War tended to be able to tell each other when we were uncomfortable, its far more comfortable in my mind to use the economy to tell each other when were uncomfortable, he said.>> The market economy, the vice chairman added, is one of the most effective tools against al-Qaida, because it leaves a paper trail of how money is used. And although the U.S. economy is slumping, Cartwright said, it hasnt had an effect on military recruiting, because the lines are out the door.