America Has Not Been at War Since 1945

There is a lot of political haggling over a President Trump’s power to send American troops into “war” – small and large – without a declaration from Congress. The headline is a head-scratcher since we hear a lot of chatter about America’s “never ending wars”. But it is true. Not one of all those prolonged conflicts … all those attacks of foreign assets in foreign countries … all those incursions … all those battles in which American soldiers died … all those things we casually referred to as “wars” … was actually a war.

The Korean conflict was not a war – even though it looked like one and a lot of American service personnel died and were wounded. There was never a declaration of war. President Truman, who put boots on the ground on the Korean peninsula, called it a “police action.” Congress demurred. Since that time, every bloody conflict – and even those years-long conflicts – has been carried out without a declaration of war — and mostly without much protestation from Congress.

The never-Trump crowd — and their media cheerleaders — are having conniptions. The only difference is the President, not the circumstances. They wail, “Imperial presidency!” “Illegal,” “Constitutional crisis.”

This is the same stale rhetoric and tired partisan theater we have endured since 2016. Every president since Harry Truman has done exactly what Trump is accused of doing – and Congress has done precisely nothing to stop them. In fact, Congress has spent the last 80 years happily ceding their so-called war powers while pretending to be shocked when a president actually takes military action to protect American interests.

Let us take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

Truman kicked it off in 1950 with Korea – “police action,” he called it, citing a U.N. resolution. Over 36,000 Americans died. No declaration.

Eisenhower sent troops into Lebanon in 1958 to stabilize a mess. No vote.

Kennedy played games at the Bay of Pigs and stared down missiles in Cuba. Very little waving of the Constitution. He escalated the conflict in Vietnam against Eisenhower’s advice.

Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution – not a declaration – to turn Vietnam into a decade-long nightmare. Nary a peep out of Congress.

Nixon invaded Cambodia despite Congress voting against it – but Congress did not outlaw it. Even when Congress huffed and puffed, Nixon kept going.

Then came the quickies that make today’s critics look ridiculous.

Ronald Reagan invaded Grenada in 1983 – three days, communists out, democracy restored, students rescued. Success! He bombed Libya in 1986 to swat Gaddafi like a fly. No permission slip.

George H. W. Bush’s Operation Just Cause in Panama? Classic. 27,000 troops rolled in. Dictator Manuel Noriega – drug lord and former CIA asset turned enemy – was arrested, flown to Miami, tried, and jailed for decades. Mission accomplished in weeks. Congress remained on the sidelines.

Bill Clinton turned it into a hobby. He used the military in Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo – all without a declaration. He lobbed missiles at Sudan and Afghanistan in 1998 after embassy bombings. “Humanitarian,” he claimed. In Kosovo we mistakenly bombed the Chinese embassy. And no World War III fearmongering.

George W. Bush used the post-9/11 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) – not a declaration – for Afghanistan. Then the 2002 Iraq AUMF. Congress wrote blank checks and later acted surprised at the bill.

Barack Obama? Master of the fig leaf. He called his 2011 Libya engagement 2011 a “kinetic military action.” He even outran the time limitation of War Powers clock. Drones vaporized terrorists from Pakistan to Yemen. He even argued limited strikes are not covered by congressional limitations.

Trump’s first term? Syria missile strikes in 2017 and 2018 – “beautiful,” he said, after chemical attacks. The Soleimani drone strike in 2020 took out Iran’s top terrorist. Quick, precise, no boots on the ground for months.

And let’s not forget the current scorecard. President Trump’s operation in Venezuela earlier this year: U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife right out of Caracas. The narco-terrorism indicted strongman is now facing U.S. justice – exactly like Noriega. Short, decisive, and results oriented. Then the recent strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and terrorist targets. Boom – facilities crippled, threats neutralized. Terrorist sites across the Middle East and beyond have been hit under multiple presidents with drone strikes and special ops: al-Qaeda leaders gone, ISIS caliphate shredded, Soleimani and his ilk turned into headlines. Specific results? Fewer Americans dying in future attacks.

Through it all, Congress has been AWOL. They passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973 over Nixon’s veto – supposedly to “restrain” presidents. Notify Congress in 48 hours, pull out in 60 days unless authorized. Cute. Presidents have filed over 130 reports since then and simply ignored the 60-day limit when convenient. Obama in Libya? Clinton in Kosovo? They just redefined “hostilities.” Courts won’t touch it. Congress never cuts funding or forces withdrawal. Why? Because lawmakers love power without responsibility. Declare war? That’s risky – voters might blame you. Better to whine after the fact.

The 2001 and 2002 AUMFs were even bigger gifts – open-ended authority against terrorism and Iraq that presidents from both parties stretched like taffy for 20 years. Congress handed over the keys and then complained about the driving.

Fact is, 43 of 45 presidents have used military force without a formal congressional declaration of war. The only two who didn’t were the ones who died too soon to do anything (FYI William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor). The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, but presidents have been commander-in-chief since Day One – and the framers knew emergencies don’t wait for committee hearings.

Today is no different. The demands that Trump “come to Congress” are pure hypocrisy from the same crowd that cheered Obama’s Libya adventure and Biden’s drone fatal strikes killing an innocent family during the surrender in Afghanistan. When a Democrat does it, it’s “decisive leadership.” When Trump does it, it’s a “crisis.” Congress has failed to exercise its war authority for generations because it’s easier to grandstand than govern. They have ceded the field, passed fig-leaf laws and now pretend to be shocked and dismayed when a president assumes and uses the powers they granted directly or by default.

So, spare us the lectures. America faces real threats – terrorists, narco-dictators, nuclear wannabes. Quick, effective actions like Grenada, Panama, the Maduro capture, Soleimani, and targeted terrorist strikes have delivered results without turning into forever wars. President Trump is simply following a bipartisan tradition that stretches back to Truman.

For the record, Congress has only declared war five times in American history – War of 1812, Mexican American War, Spanish American War, World War I and World War II.

It is within Congress’ power to legislatively limit a President’s power to engage in military action. It can do it by taking away the powers they have given to the Commander-in-Chief over the years. Congress can do it by passing new more stringent laws. But it will not.

And all that talk about Trump’s actions being “illegal” and “unconstitutional” is nothing more than partisan political palaver. When making those bogus claims, they are exceeding their authority. Only the Supreme Court determines constitutionality and a president’s war powers – and so far, that has not happened for 237 years.

If Congress wants its power back, it can take it. And maybe it should. It is a worthy debate. But until that debate takes place and legislative action is taken the issue will be left to partisan caterwauling.

Until then, the hypocrisy writes itself. The loudest voices demanding “prior approval” come from those who have spent 80 years refusing to use the authority they claim is theirs — unconditional and sacred.

So, there ‘tis.