Nobel Prizes are being awarded this week and one element of the award process that should be obvious to the world is that these prizes are not bestowed in a vacuum. Thousands of candidates are nominated for these honors and various interests, and often the nominees themselves, openly lobby each selection committee for the ultimate nod.
The cash is nominal but the cachet and prestige of having a Nobel Prize is sort of like getting a Medal of Honor without the unpleasantness and definitive peril of getting shot at. You aren't a one-percenter; you're a zero-zero-zero-point-one-percenter. You're the best at what you do in several generations and are changing the world. So, obviously, it's a politically driven contest.
Nobel Peace Prizes are sticky. They aren't like the prizes for academic accomplishment. They are awarded for "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." Generally, the Peace Prizes seem to be given to Really Nice People.
That's probably why the overwhelming majority of prizes have been given to Americans. 23 Americans have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The United Kingdom is first runner-up with 12. We missed out this year. That's okay. There's always 2026 and a peace deal in Gaza on the table.
Peace at home and outside our borders was a primary concern of the framers of our nation. In The Federalist Papers, authors Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison posit the arguments for the people of New York to ratify the Constitution.
Jay lays out the case in Federalist No. 3 and 4 for a standing Federal military. He makes the point that a larger Federal military is less likely to engage in unjust wars than individual states and a large Republic will be more judicious in treaty-making.
Hamilton notes in Federalist No. 6 that ununified states are more likely to wage war against each other and a unified system is needed to prevent conflicts from being "kindled among the States themselves."
Madison writes in Federalist No. 45 that the Federal model is essential to both security and happiness; a strong federal government guards against internal factions and external threats. At the same time, state government balance the Federal government by being closer to the people, managing the lives, liberties and properties of the people.
While the Constitution became the law of the land The Federalist Papers provide interesting insights into the intents and mindsets of America's early thought leaders and influencers. There are repeated references to a Federal military and state militias; this became the model of the United States military and the state National Guard units.
As our nation evolved and coped with a number of armed conflicts we learned powerful lessons. After the world's most shocking war in history, World War II, the United States emerged, for good or for no, not just as a beacon for immigrants seeking a better life but also as a global superpower.
The end of WWII saw many military bases on American soil. A number of these remained open after the war ended, and new ones opened in the resulting arms race and Cold War with the Soviet Union. The more significant pivot was the long-term posting of American forces and weapons overseas. Preventing war thousands of miles away became the primary military doctrine of the United States.
This approach also allowed us to further shape culture and trade as our forces were also day-to-day ambassadors and economic drivers in the host communities.
Today there are roughly 160,000 American service members permanently stationed overseas at 750 locations. The vast majority are in Germany and Japan; these are former "occupied nations" after WWII that remain of strategic importance as we consider Russia and China. This doesn't include the Sailors and Marines deployed on the roughly 100 ships and submarines around the world at any given time, which could total 55,000-65,000.
This is a tremendous show of power. Without "troops on the ground" in active combat, we have nearly a quarter million men and women in uniform posted around the globe. This is what is meant by "power projection." These servicemembers are all volunteers; we have no draft.
They are serving now for the most part not in "occupied territories" but with the full cooperation and in some cases the express invitation of the host country. Our allies want the symbol of U.S. military partnership as a force multiplier for their own stature and their own security.
This is the best guarantee for a peaceful America. This is why I and many of my classmates in ROTC at the University at Notre Dame served. The Notre Dame ROTC midshipmen and cadets have a motto: "God, Country, Notre Dame." This reminds us that service to our Creator, our Nation and our community are equally sacred. We all had to take the same courses in theology and philosophy and consider just war, the nature of evil, and the essence of man. We were better officers for the experience.
It is a challenging time when our national military strategy considers a pivot that focuses less on projecting American power abroad and preserving peace before conflict can get close to our shores, and more on conflict in our own heartland.
One of the most-used deterrent weapons of the last 25 years is the Tomahawk missile. It's a Navy vertical-launch guided missile with a range of 1,550 miles. It can be launched from a submarine. In other words, it can be fired with great accuracy from very far away from something you never see. It's a tremendous show of power that the United States can't be touched and should not be trifled with.
It's unclear to me what the message of sending Texas National Guard troops to Chicago or California National Guard troops to Portland sends. Those cities have not been invaded by the Houthis or the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Some Americans are protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. The mayors of those cities have not requested additional help from their governors. Pictures of the Portland protests feature individuals dressed as frogs and chickens.
There's an image that's projected with precision missile strikes delivered with no warning from thousands of miles away against adversaries on foreign soil. There's another image that's projected with mobilizing troops to unarmed protestors in cosplay outfits. The first shows strength, power, and resolve. The second at best shows disregard for the rule of law; at worst it shows weakness of premise, confidence, and character. In the pursuit of peace, I believe the United States is more successful with the former.
October 13 marks the 250th birthday of the world's greatest Navy. Happy birthday to all my Navy brothers and sisters!
Merritt Hamilton Allen is a PR executive and former Navy officer. She appeared regularly as a panelist on NM PBS and is a frequent guest on News Radio KKOB. A Republican for 36 years, she became an independent upon reading the 2024 Republican platform. She lives amicably with her Democratic husband north of I-40 where they run one head of dog, and one of cat. She can be reached at
