WH,
Do you really think there are such people in the military? When we hear on an almost daily basis the huge waste of resources from the military chiefs and together with the seemingly crass decisions on equipment needs then I seriously doubt it. And please do not try and blame the politicians, it is surely the military top brass that make the list of needed equipment and they have to decide what is needed within the budget constraints.
Well you see that assumption is the exact problem; it's not the chiefs I refer to. No, not at all because you don't need to be at the top to have a savvy political mind, an impressive grasp of current affairs, a sense of past mistakes and a personal experience of military doctrine that always demands that you are 'prepared' etc etc. In fact, it is better that they are not senior Generals etc because these are at the top of their profession and arguably too late in life to start out on a career in politics.
My point was this WH:
There are truly exceptional, inspiring individuals from within the enlisted and officer ranks of all our services who, if they passionately believed in the political cause, could very well rally and win a seat in parliament. Instead many of those I describe loosely above leave and do something else with their lives because the military, as a way of life for 30+ years, is simply not for them or their families.