Seventy years after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. finds itself in much the same situation that it was in prior to World War II. There is a great effort to cut military spending, bring troops home from abroad, and scale back our international exposure. The country’s critical financial situation is one reason. Yet a nuclear-obsessed Iran, an emerging China and Russia, along with smaller rogue actors are enough of a threat to justify a vigilant and even aggressive guard. Add to this the weariness of two prolonged wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the comparison is complete.

Fred Iklé, who died last week at the age of 87, influenced American and world history enormously and for the good, far out of proportion to the scant public attention he attracted. In particular, he helped make it possible for the U.S. government to transcend the appalling idea that “mutual assured destruction” is a necessary and desirable aim of nuclear strategy.

As part of the debt ceiling deal, Congress has proposed cutting at least $350 billion from the defense budget over the next 10 years. Worse, if Congress fails to agree on those cuts, an additional $600 billion in across-the-board cuts will come out of defense. Cuts of that magnitude will have long-standing consequences — the troops of today and tomorrow will lack the kind of critical drones, helicopters, satellites and fighter jets that helped us get bin Laden.